The Villains Guide to Wooing a Hero
by Cedfia123
Summary: Can a villain win the heart of a hero? Can two such different people make it work? Cedric decides to create a how to guide to help other villains who find themselves in the dire and uncharted waters of falling in love with a good guy... or girl. (Cedfia)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I realized writing so much angst was seriously depressing me. So I thought I might start a little series of drabbles and odd stories about Cedric's journey to becoming a better person for Sofia. And thought it would be cute if he wrote a how to manual for other villains who find themselves in such dire and uncharted waters.**

 **I probably won't update this on any regular basis, but sometimes I'd like to write something cheery!**

 **Disclaimer: Cedric and Sofia are both adults in this story, and I don't own either of them. Damn you Disney!**

The Villains Guide To Wooing a Hero

Can a villain win the heart of a hero?

Can two people so different make it work?

Never fear fellow evil doer I can assure you it is possible. But it will require a bit of work on your part. Let's start with a simple list of some of my most valuable and hard learned tips for winning and keeping your do-gooder.

Though you'll have to adjust them to your own specific circumstances, I hope they can be of some small help in your quest to love someone mentally unbalanced enough to choose the side of right!

1) Don't suggest she give you her amulet because overthrowing her father would completely negate the need for his blessing.

2) Do assure her you were just joking… unless she liked the idea. Then you were totally serious.

3) Do go on vacations together.

4) Do not use the opportunity to try and steal magically powerful objects from her annoying friends since you don't care whether _they_ the live or die.

5) Do let yourself be occasionally irritated by her almost fathomless well of goodness and optimism.

6) Do not reconstitute her evil doppelganger thinking you can have your wicked cake and eat it too. There's a reason you sent that bitch to hell!

7) Do not turn her family members, friends, or friendly acquaintances into half human/ half animal hybrids in an attempt to blackmail them into stealing the amulet for you.

8) On second thought go right ahead. You probably won't get the amulet, but that shit's just fun!

9) Do teach her the secrets of magic, because you can't be around all time, and no one else better mess with your princess.

10) Don't be surprised when the infuriating wench uses everything you've taught her to thwart your every scheme for kingdom wide domination.

11) Do introduce her to your parents.

12) Do not let your seemingly sweet old mother go on and on about how having such a wonderful daughter in law _almost_ makes up for not getting to be the Queen Mum.

13) Do get her thoughtful little presents and do sweet thing to show her how much you care.

14) For some reason heroes don't consider demonic objects of evil to be thoughtful presents, so make sure you unhex that junk first.

15) Do do good deeds. Even if it makes you cringe, even if it burns a little, even if makes you sick to your stomach.

16) Do not expect her to understand when you're so weak and ill from doing good deeds you can't do much more than lie on the floor of your workshop wringing your hands and trying to pinpoint the exact moment you lost all sense of self-respect.

17) Do let her reward your good behavior with gold stars and kisses.

18) Don't feel like you can't reward her with a gold star and kisses when she occasionally does something wicked. You shouldn't be the only one making compromises here.

19) Do not gripe because her amulet's sense of morality seems to be a little skewed. She doesn't understand either why a little bragging about something good happening to you is a sin worthy of being humiliated in front of hundreds of strangers. But fornicating on every flat surface in the castle plus the King's throne seems to be a okay. People who look gift horses in the mouth get what they deserve.

20) Do marvel every day at how she makes you a better person, even if you're not completely comfortable with it yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One:**

If you think she's a looker now, just wait till you see her all dolled up in evil

Or

A lesson in why the grass is not always greener on the evil side

You may be completely forgiven for anything you do in that first moment.

That horrifying, terrible, somewhat hallucinatory first moment. That moment when you realize, not only do you not wish a vile ending to a perpetually do-gooding thorn in your side, you actually would do anything to prevent it. And all because you have… _feeling_ s, but unfortunately not evil feelings, for said do-gooding thorn.

Any half descent villain would be driven to, how shall we say, previously unimaginable extremes.

If such a moment hasn't happened to you already, then may I suggest when it does, you sit somewhere comfortable, take a few deep breaths, and allow your most trusted minion to talk you down from the ledge.

Otherwise you might end up doing something _so_ bad even you regret it.

Allow me to offer my own experience as a parable for what can happen when you to hastily decide you cannot allow yourself to love a non-villain….

"Thank you so much Mr. Cedric! You're the most ah-mazing, sensational sorcerer on earth!"

For someone who'd technically passed into adulthood, Princess Sofia managed to retain an innocent almost childlike aura I found fascinating and irritating by turns.

At the moment it irritated me to the point of wanting to wring someone's neck, unfortunately not hers though. For some reason never hers.

I had put my plans to acquire the Amulet of Avalor on indefinite hold. But that did not mean I wasn't still trying to take over the kingdom.

After all I deserved to be king!

Which was how I ended up transforming myself into an abominable snow beast on our court visit/ ski vacation to Arendelle, and fighting Sofia, Princess Anna, her grating snowman sidekick, and the reign deer for the mythical Ice Scepter of Freezia.

A bolt from the scepter during the fight turned me back into my human form. But luckily I had ducked behind a large rock just as I was hit.

Still, it effectively ended the battle. I had no choice but to pretend I'd followed them up the mountain to help fight the snow beast, whom I'd just defeated. Behind the rock where no one could see. (You see how I did that…skills).

It turned out to be lucky for the little thorn in my side, since no sooner did I appear from behind the rock but she attempted to run to me and ended up falling into a six foot deep hole which had been covered by the snow.

After floating her up, wet, snow caked, and practically blue from the cold, she threw her frozen arms around me in a suffocating hug.

The next hour proved… interesting as Princess Anna insisted Sofia and I ride on her antlered mule. Sofia because she was too cold to walk, and me because she needed someone to keep her warm. Since she was already clinging to me I would have to do!

The girl spent the entire ride looking up into my face with worshipful eyes and telling me how, as she put it, ah-mazing I was. It wasn't as good as acquiring the scepter, but it was a passable consolation prize. Especially when she would shiver a little and then rub her cheek into my chest.

And then…then…just as we came in sight of the castle, Sofia leaned up and pressed her icicle lips to mine.

"Thank you Mr. Cedric! I would have been a princess popsicle if it weren't for you!"

With that she was pulled from my embrace and rushed into the castle by King Rolland, Queen Miranda and Queen Elsa.

And I remained sitting on the funky looking donkey wondering what that strange feeling in my chest was.

Eventually the peasant turned Prince walked up to us, wanting his best buddy back.

"I think he likes her!" The prince said, as though he were speaking _for_ the reign deer instead of to it.

The part of my brain not still focusing on how cold and perfect and freezing and soft Sofia's lips were wondered idly if Princess Anna was aware her husband was seriously mentally disturbed. Schizophrenia perhaps inbreeding, I couldn't be sure which.

"Merlin's mushrooms," giving both the funky looking donkeys the most exasperated look I could muster, I made my way back into the castle.

There were no dank, ill lit, drafty towers in this castle. So I had been relegated to a perfectly cozy corner parlor to use as my makeshift quarters/workshop.

Slamming and bolting the door behind me, I sat down, utterly uncaring of whatever Wormwood was squawking about.

My lips were still tingling, my chest was still constricting, and somehow, despite the subzero temperatures, I'd begun to sweat.

Dear God, I must be dying!

Had I contracted some strange disease from this frozen hellhole? I wracked my brain trying to think what I could have come down with, when the mentally challenged prince peasant's words echoed back to me.

I think he likes her!

"NO!" I screeched to no one. "It's not possible!"

It couldn't be.

Yes, I had an embarrassing soft spot for the youngest princess. But that was only because she was my friend. The only one I had!

And yes, I had given up my pursuit of the amulet, for now, because the thought of hurting her made me…uncomfortable.

And I had continued to teach her magic long after she stopped coming to me for homework help. But that was merely because I wanted company. Villain or no I was human! Everyone gets lonely once in a while. And she was a good companion, adoring, easy to please, and forever complimentary.

She was bright too.

She learned quickly and had a natural talent for magic.

And she made good conversation.

Every once and a while she would let me glimpse a truly wicked, cutting sense of humor. And I would admit I attempted to bring out her acerbic side more often than was probably fitting.

And she was lovely.

"There I said it!" I yelled at my reflection in a mirror hung on the far wall of the room.

"Sofia is graceful and beautiful and sweet and kind and gorgeous and brilliant and beautiful! Is it a crime to notice such things? If she doesn't want people to think she's perfect she should stop being perfect! Do something selfish, grow a nose wart. She knows enough magic to transform herself into an old hag. But does she? NOOO, so how's that my fault? Hmmm?"

I was reaching soprano levels of screeching when I realized I was in far more serious trouble than I had ever imagined.

Standing up I moved to the mirror.

"Dear god old boy you don't actually…love her?"

Wormwood made a squawk which I had no need of the amulet or its powers to know was a threat to disown me.

"Oh, no, no, no, NO!" I scrubbed my hands through my hair and rubbed them over my face. "No, you have to do something about this now!"

Turning I noticed the two identical beakers on my temporary work table. Identical except for the purple liquid in one and the pink liquid in the other, and it came to me. The perfect answer to my problem, my salvation from a life of shameful longing for a sickeningly innocent ray of sunshine.

"Yes! Wormwood I have it!

"I'll resurrect Sofia's evil doppelganger.

She's Sofia only evil, which means she's better than perfect! I'll have an evil apprentice to pass on all my evil knowledge too and an evil companion to spend my days with. And if I love Sofia so much, then I'm bound to be head over heels for her copy!"

Of course the thought struck me that even if I loved Sofia there was absolutely no reason on earth why Sofia should ever love me back. I was almost two decades older than her, skinny, unattractive, and awkward.

But if I liberated her copy from hell…well that should count for something shouldn't it? Perhaps in time she'd grow to feel the same for me as I felt for Sofia.

It was worth a try. It was certainly better than pining for my virtuous, completely unattainable princess until I withered away and died from it.

Rushing to my books, I flipped through the stack until I found the resurrection spell.

"Doppler princessin resurectus!"

There was a puff of pink smoke and then there she was, sitting seductively on the worktable in a pink sorcerer's robe and nothing else. Her bare legs were crossed at the knees, one foot, with a perfect candy pink pedicure, inching its way under my robe and up my leg. She was beautiful, captivating, scintillatingly malevolent, and _mine_ for the taking.

"You summoned me…master." She licked her lips and appraised me with bold eyes.

"Um..oh…yes, I guess I did didn't I?"

She rolled her eyes and let out a puff of breath that lifted her bangs momentarily, as though she were already bored with me.

"Was there something you wanted?"

"Indeed," I said a little more commandingly. "I have need of an evil apprentice and a companion, and I thought…"

"And you thought if you busted me out of jail I'd be sooo grateful I'd be willing to hang around your creepy old ass for the next… however long?"

"Sofia…." She held up her hand.

"First things first, _she's_ Sofia.

I've been watching you all this whole time, _Mr._ Cedric, so I know the deal. You've got a hard on for sweetest little princess in all the land and I'm here to fulfill all your perverted dreams. Fine, it's better than burning in a lake of fire indefinitely… I guess.

But you aren't going to be blubbering her name in my face every time you get off… which I'm betting will be _way_ too quickly.

I want a name of my own."

Perhaps I hadn't quite thought this through as much as I should have.

"And just what would you like to be called?"

She looked up at the ceiling for a moment as though deep in thought.

"Sofia is such a goody-goody name, and I'm soooo not good. I want a baaaad name!"

Crossing my arms, I let out my own bored breath.

"What about Delilah, they don't get much worse than that."

"You might not be as much of a chore as I thought Cedikins. Delilah it is! So are we just going to sit around or are we going to wreak some havoc all up in here?"

The newly christened Delilah jumped off my worktable and strutted her way over to me, all swinging hips, bouncing auburn curls, and icy blue eyes. Sofia really was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen.

"Umm, yes, well not at the moment. It's dinner time, even the wicked need to eat. Stay here and I'll get us something."

With that I fled the room.

You did the right thing, you did the right thing, YOU DID THE RIGHT THING.

I gave myself a pep talk all the way to the kitchen and back.

But when I walked through the door it became completely clear I had done the very worst wrong thing I could possibly have done.

There was Delilah, just finishing the knot on the bindings which tied Sofia to a chair, a gag in her mouth and a completely incredulous look in her eyes.

"You were gone so long I decided to get this party started on my own! Party planning one-o-one: there isn't room for two guests of honor. So let's kick this off on the right foot, _Mr._ Cedric. Come and help me kill Sofia!"

"What are you… Odin's Icicles girl let her go."

Delilah just laughed.

"Why on earth would I do that?" Her fingers closed around the Amulet at Sofia's neck and with a wrenching pull the clasp on the necklace broke.

Sofia cried out and I could see a trickle of blood on her neck where the chain had cut into her flesh before giving way.

"I knew you were going to be difficult about this." Delilah huffed, rolling her eyes yet again. "Come on Cedric, how long have you been after this amulet?"

Sofia let out an incredulous cry and looked at me with eyes that were both shocked and wounded.

"Let's see, Sofia and I are seventeen, so that's almost ten years. Jeeze you really are bad at this whole villain thing aren't you. I mean wouldn't the laws of probability dictate that eventually you just sort of fall and land on the thing?"

"Delilah let her go!"

"No, I don't think so. Relationships are all about reciprocity. I do for you and you do for me. So I get the necklace for you and you open the gate back to hell and toss Ms. Goody Goody in, making me the one and only Sofia on this plane. After all, if you want me to be…pliant to your will, you're going to have to do better than offering me substandard accommodations and old man cock. The thought of that may get her all hot and bothered but not me."

Yes, this was a completely horrible idea. What in god's name had made me think resurrecting this harridan simply because she wore my angel's was a good idea?

"G…G…Give me the amulet," I stammered, holding out my hand.

Delilah looked down at the amulet and then back up at me with a sinister smile.

"Open the gate to hell."

Pulling my wand out I walked over to her.

She smiled up at me seductively and wound her arms around my neck.

"Maybe I was wrong. I think you and I are going to work out wonderfully!" She giggled before pressing her lips to mine.

I rested my hands on her hips and let her kiss me, but inside I felt as though a knife was sinking itself between my ribs.

It wasn't the same.

She was tangling her fingers in the ends of my hair, running her tongue over my teeth, pressing every inch of Sofia's perfect body against me. I should have been a puddle of barely contained desire, but instead I was miserable.

There was no tingle in my lips, no constriction in my heart.

She wasn't Sofia.

She wasn't Sofia because she wasn't good. And if she wasn't Sofia I couldn't love her.

Delilah finally pulled away, handing me the amulet.

She walked behind Sofia's chair so she could give it a shove when I opened the gate.

Sighing at my utter failure (on so many levels) I chose to look at Sofia while I uttered the words.

"Doppler Domincus."

Delilah let out a cry of indignant rage before poofing into nothing.

Sofia was staring at me now, a look of complete disbelief painting her beautiful features.

I looked away, preferring not to meet her eyes as I began untying her.

After removing the gag, I put my wand to her cut and healed it before replacing the amulet where it belonged…around that perfect throat.

Sofia clasped the amulet in her hands, seeming as though she couldn't quite fit all the pieces of the last half hour together.

Finally she looked up at me again.

"Mr. Cedric how could you?" Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes and I felt my chest start to hurt.

Oh dear god, she was going to cry. She couldn't cry. I hated it when she cried. It made me feel things I _hated_ feeling. Things like sympathy and a desire to comfort, and at this particular moment, a healthy dose of guilt too.

"I…I…I had too," I stammered, feeling about five inches tall under the glare of her wounded disappointment.

"How on earth could you have _had_ to resurrect my evil copy? Why would you even do something like that?"

Suddenly I felt unbelievable mad. How dare she?

"How dare you!

How dare you stand there judging me?

You're good and beautiful and innocent and full of light. Anyone would want you, _everyone_ wants you. You even managed to make me want you, to make _me_ fall in love with you!

But ohh no, evil, ugly, bungling, worthless Cedric doesn't deserve love, or happiness. He should just accept the fact he's going to die alone and slink away to his fate without bothering any of us!"

I was huffing and out of breath from my little outburst, so I never noticed her getting closer to me.

"You love me? Really?" There was a strange emotion in her voice… disbelief…but not quite, surprise… but something more…HOPE!

"Of course I love you. How could I not love you? You're everything I said you are _and_ you're my only friend, even though I've never been a very good friend in return. You're… you're everything."

She was barely an inch from me now and her hands came up, cupping my cheeks.

"Why didn't you just tell me how you felt?"

I scoffed at that, giving her my very best sneer, even though I didn't move away.

"How could I do that? Even if I'd realized before today what I was feeling, I have nothing to offer you. Even if you're too sweet to laugh in my face like anyone else in your position would, I can't bear to hear you thank me and tell me how you'll always be my friend but….

I thought your copy being wicked…like me, I thought we would suit each other. I thought she could take your place. I thought….I don't know what I thought, obviously it was all a farcical mistake. Cedric the so-so bungles it again."

Her hands tightened ever so slightly on my face, making me look at her instead of the floor, where my eyes had gravitated during my humiliating confession.

"You're not ugly or worthless or a bungler. I admit I might have misjudged the evil part, all things considered but…but somehow that doesn't matter nearly as much as it should. You should have just told me you love me…so I could tell you I love you too."

And then she was kissing me. Sofia, my Sofia, the real Sofia, kissing me with her soft, sweet, perfect lips and wrapping her arms around me. ME!

And there it was… the tingle in my lips and the constricting in my heart….

So you see, you get that first moment, when you realize you love a hero, for free. But learn from my example because every moment after that counts!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I said I wasn't going to be updating this one regularly, but there's something about being done with something in one shot that's super satisfying.**

 **This one probably falls more along the cute spectrum than the funny one, but oh well….**

 **Chapter Two:**

Princes and balls and Cursed jewelry, Oh my

Or

Trust, lacking it isn't just for villains anymore!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that no well-adjusted, lovingly nurtured, or socially accepted person ever became a villain.

After all why would you need to exact a bloody, fiery revenge on people who already respect and accept you?

Therefore, as a mal-adjusted, un-nurtured, socially deficient person you might have trouble with many aspects of life others find easy. Things such as trust, not making everything about you, and not seeing a reason to exact bloody, fiery revenge in every breath breathed or eye blinked by another human being.

Heroes, as you have had ample opportunity to observe, excel at these areas of life. It may well be that unerring ability to trust others and see only the best in them which brought the hero of your affections into your life.

However I urge you to remember that even the most appallingly upstanding do-gooder can falter from time to time.

Therefore I offer one seemingly tiny insight which I promise will be of great importance in your 'mixed' relationship.

Trust is hard for everyone…but it makes the world go round.

Oh I know, it's harder than it sounds.

It opens you to hurt. It goes against everything you believe in. You might even fear it's the gateway emotion to other harder more unsavory emotions like kindness, compassion, or a general desire for the wellbeing of your fellow man.

I assure you I'm not asking you to become a benevolence junkie. But I can personally vouch for how important it is.

Oh… and when giving your heroic other half gifts, especially family heirlooms passed from one evil generation to the other, remember to make sure they don't 'do' anything first. (Call that a bit of bonus advice) ….

"Because I'd look spectacular in a crown."

Giggles turned into gasps as my as my teeth nipped Sofia's neck and my hand slid under her voluminous skirts.

"You would, but no." the giggle was back, even as elegant fingers slipped into my hair.

"Think how regal Wormwood would look perched on the back of a throne!"

Tiny kisses traveled to her shoulder until they met the stiff taffeta of her sleeve.

"So regal, he can perch on mine anytime he pleases." Sofia's other hand began fiddling with the tie to my robe.

In the month since I'd sent Sofia's evil copy back to the fiery hell she belonged in and won the heart of my blindingly virtuous princess, it had become my favorite game. Coming up with reasons why Sofia should give me the amulet so I could take over the kingdom already.

That acerbic sense of humor she possessed allowed her to take it all in jest, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't secretly hope one day I might hit on a reason that would actually convince her. I'd never take it from her. I loved her too much to ever hurt her like that, but if she happened to give it to me… well it's just plain rude not to accept a gift isn't it!

"I would make you my queen," I looked up at her as I began kissing the ample cleavage pushed up by her corset.

She whimpered, her eyes slipping shut and her had falling back even as she gave it a little shake.

"I'm not all that enamored with being a Princess, so no."

The hand under her skirts slid higher, grasping the point where her thigh met her delectable bottom.

"You wouldn't have to attend anymore of Amber's ridiculous balls, or dance with anymore spoiled brat princes."

Sofia's head snapped back up and she leaned away from me. Just far enough so we could see each other's faces clearly.

"I like Amber's balls and I like to dance, and I enjoy spending time with my friends. Just because I _like_ all those things doesn't mean I don't _love_ you."

I could feel my face going dark as the huff left my mouth.

"Yes but for how long? One day one of those boys is going to turn your head with his youth and beauty and kingdom and then what will I do?"

Sofia's legs tightened around my hips, crumpling her beautiful watery blue gown even more, as her hands slipped under my robe to rest on my chest. Her lips came down on mine, forcing me to tip my head back to fully accept her kiss.

When she'd finished sliding her tongue against mine and rubbing her breasts against my chest, and generally assaulting me with her perfection, she looked at me with an earnest, if exasperated expression.

"I don't give my heart in pieces Cedric and I don't loan it out either. You aren't practice for someone else. Do we understand each other?"

Her hand gripped the back of my neck again, forcefully holding my head in place, so I could read her sincerity.

"We do."

Then her lips were on mine again, hard and possessive, just the way I liked it.

"Good, now I have to get downstairs. I'm supposed to be in the ballroom already."

I smiled up at her as she gracelessly pushed and teetered her way off my lap. The dress was so heavy it could have been a second person.

Before she could walk away though, I grabbed her hand, making her turn back to me.

Opening the drawer of my worktable I pulled out the box which had been sitting there for a few days now, waiting for the right time.

Taking out the bracelet inside, I slipped it on her wrist.

"Cedric?" There was surprise and a little bit of awe in her voice as she moved her wrist in different ways to make the lovely amethysts twinkle in their white gold setting.

"It belonged to my mother's mother. My grandfather gave it to her when he confessed his love. I asked my mother for it when I was at Mystic Meadows the other day.

If we can't shout from the rooftops then will you at least wear it while you dance with all those disgustingly handsome, revoltingly rich men? That way, when I see it twinkling on your wrist, I'll know you're mine."

A smile broke out on her face and there was a single tear forming in the corner of her eye, threatening to ruin the dark substance she used to line her eyes. Leaning down she took my face in both of her hands and kissed me softly, with all her love. Also the way I liked it.

"Yes. And Cedric, we won't have to hide forever. We'll find a way to tell my parents soon, and then I will personally drag you to the roof of the castle!"

With that she was gone.

Straightening my clothes I retied my robe and grabbed my family wand.

The King was adamant everything go off perfectly tonight. This was Amber and James' coming of age ball and there would be princes and princesses galore looking to ingratiate themselves, hoping to win the attention of Enchancia's incredibly attractive twin royals.

I had a particularly dark moment days before in the King's study when, after giving me my marching orders, Rolland smiled confidentially and informed me he was also hoping the youngest Princess might garner some attention to.

"She isn't royal by birth, but beaut y and grace go a long way and Sofia has those in spades."

It was all I could do not shove my wand right into his mouth and out the other side.

"Yes, unfortunately she also has brains, wit, and self-determination. Things none of those entitled, mentally deficient brats are man enough to value in a bride!" I mumbled to myself.

"What was that Cedric?" The Kings face took on a decidedly more stern expression.

"Ohh, nothing your majesty. I was just thinking aloud about what magic tricks might impress such rarified company." My tone was at its most obsequious as I bowed my way out of the room.

When I entered the ballroom, Baileywick was just announcing Amber and James.

His Royal Highness Crowned Prince James of Enchancia and her Royal Highness Princess Amber of Enchancia!

The assembled guests let out a loud cheer as the birthday twins took their place at the top of each of the balcony staircases.

The spotlight hit James and he bowed dashingly to the crowd, then a second hit Amber and she curtseyed alluringly.

Taking my cue I made it rain sparkling glitter on the crowd. Silver on James' side and gold on Amber's as they began walking down the steps.

When they reached the bottom they each chose a partner from the bevy of Princes and Princesses and began to dance.

After the first dance, everyone took to the floor and I saw Sofia out of the corner of my eye being accosted by that brat prince she used to do enchanted ice dancing with.

Despite Sofia's heartrending words I felt myself growing cold with anger.

The boy…Hugo, he was trouble.

Anyone could see it if they would just look past his good looks and wealth.

He was a spoiled punk accustomed to getting his way. He relentlessly pursued Sofia not because he recognized how amazing she was, and not because he truly liked her, but because she wouldn't give him the time of day.

He'd never been told no by anyone. So her constant refusals were like fuel thrown on his desire to conquer her.

He was holding Sofia too tightly and leaning into her face too closely. I could see the consternation written all over her even as he completely ignored it.

I had half a mind to turn him into a toad in front of everyone.

He had begun twirling Sofia when, in a move which seemed somewhat peculiar for someone who could dance on a tiny blade of steel, the prince lost his footing rather spectacularly! Sofia let go of his hand just in time for the boy to spin out of control, knocking into the couples closest to him.

By the time he managed to stop his momentum he'd sent half the ballroom to their bottoms like a game of living dominos!

Surveying the damage he'd caused, Hugo turned a lovely shade of tomato red and fled in shame, leaving Sofia standing alone in the middle of his mess.

She looked up and turned a single raised eyebrow on me.

I only shrugged, a smile on my face. Letting her know I hadn't been responsible even I'd thoroughly enjoyed watching the whole thing.

She grimaced, but then began helping the people around her back to their feet, inquiring in her sweet, genuine way if everyone was unhurt.

Once everyone was back on their feet, the orchestra began to play again. She wasn't even off the dance floor before another young prince had bounded up to her.

This one I didn't know by name, but he was blond, slightly stocky, perpetually timid, and was always following Sofia around like a puppy dog whenever he managed to find a reason to be here.

They began to dance and, if it were possible, I felt my jealousy transform from cold anger to white hot rage.

He might not be as handsome as Prince twinkle toes _or_ as rich, but he was making her laugh…a lot.

The dance ended but they didn't part. Instead they started a new one together, this one decidedly slower and more intimate.

They were still laughing and talking animatedly when they passed close to the open balcony doors.

What happened next seemed as if it had come straight from a morbid dreamscape.

A swarm of cicadas flew into the room, causing everyone to scream. Ladies and even many of the men began ducking and cowering in terror while a brave few tried to swat them away.

Baileywick was positively pirouetting across the room, bug swatter in hand, when the whole swarm seemed to coalesce and concentrate their attention on Sofia's dance partner.

Sofia moved out of the way just in time.

The young prince however stood paralyzed by fright as they all began attacking him. The paralysis finally gave way after a few grotesquely entertaining moments and he began running around the ballroom knocking into tables, overturning food and drinks, and generally running nowhere fast as he pleaded for help.

Which he got… in the form of Baileywick rushing up to beat the bugs, and the Prince under them, with his swatter.

Sofia turned to me again and I could see hellfire on her face.

Waving my wand, I sent a gust of wind through the ballroom blowing the bugs out window, while Baileywick held on to the prince with all his might so he wouldn't end up going with them.

As I used magic to put the room back to rights, Sofia went running to the now collapsed Prince, pulling his head into her lap and trying to revive him.

Once she was sure he'd be alright, she began to stalk over to the stairs, and I knew I was about to get an earful.

Normally I might have met her gaze sheepishly, but this time I knew I wasn't at fault.

Before she could get to me, Baileywick came bounding up the stairs, nearly knocking her over.

"Cedric the king wants you to do the magic show now, before anything else has a chance to go wrong." I nodded, following the out breath steward back down.

"I swear it's not me!" I whispered as I passed her, but the huff of breath I heard behind me suggested I had not convinced her.

A triumphant hour later, my magic show was over. All my spells had gone swimmingly, and no prince in Sofia's vicinity had managed to get hurt.

The music began again and before I knew what was happening I was pulled to the floor by a less than happy looking Princess.

"I thought we cleared this up upstairs, Cedric!" She whispered through gritted teeth.

"I told you, it's not me. I'm innocent as a newborn babe." I gave her the single most honest look of my life. The only honest look I'd ever given anyone that _was_ actually honest.

"Then what's going on? It's like every guy who gets close to me ends up nearly getting killed tonight."

"Yes, well I wish I could say I'm sorry about that, but you did tell me you value honesty in a partner. So _I'm_ thrilled, I only wish one of them had gone up in flames."

Sofia snorted at that and gave me a little smile.

"I shouldn't find your jealousy as much of a turn on as I do." She confessed from lowered lids.

Knowing I couldn't explore this change in topic properly with a ballroom full of people around us, I tilted her chin up as we moved.

"Well, I seem to be faring better than your last two partners. Have you considered the possibility it was just a series of unfortunate coincidences? Sometimes odd things happen in sequence, it doesn't mean their related to each other."

She shrugged at that and the dance ended.

Bowing to her I led her off the floor and straight into Prince James.

"Hey Sof, I could use a break from being assessed for monetary value. Wanna dance?"

Sofia nodded her head and I relaxed knowing this was the only young prince here tonight I didn't have to be jealous of.

They began to twirl around the floor gracefully, laughing and talking through a first dance and into another one without incident.

I was just preparing to leave the ballroom when the first scream ripped through the air.

I turned just in time to see one of the large draperies catch fire…from being touched by the tales of James' coat…which were in flames from having touched one of the braziers as they'd passed to close in the dance.

Sofia and James were struggling with his coat while pandemonium broke out around them.

"Aquas showeress decendio" I shouted, making a raincloud the width of the ballroom and sending torrents of water down on everyone. The flames began to dampen into smoke, but the rain also caused the floor to become a veritable lake. People slipping and falling all over each other in their haste to be out of the room.

By the time the fire was out everyone was soaked in huddles on the floor. Amber was wailing in tears at her ruined debut. Sofia was helping a thankfully unhurt James to his feet. And the King was sputtering utterly inadequate apologies to his guests.

To say James and Ambers' coming of age ball would never be forgotten is probably a rather large understatement!

An hour later I was drying off from a warm bath when the door to my tower opened without a knock and banged shut.

Wrapping the towel around my waist, I ran up the stone steps into the main room to find a still soaking Sofia in her ruined ball gown.

We both seemed to stop, staring at each other appraisingly for a moment.

"You…you have tattoos," her voice was shaky as she pointed to them like I might have forgotten where they were.

"You're still wet." I returned.

"I must be cursed!" She blurted out, bursting into tears and rushing into my arms. The force of her body hitting mine nearly dislodged the towel.

"Oh love, I don't see how that could possibly be? If you were cursed wouldn't the bad things happen to you? Unless the amulet has suddenly developed a sense of humor." I couldn't help but chuckle, possibly the worst reaction I could have had because she only began crying harder.

"What else could it be? James and Ambers' ball was completely ruined, and three of my dance partners nearly died tonight!" She wailed.

"Well, I don't think the blond boy was in too much danger, Cicadas are harmless really. It wasn't like they could have buzzed him to death. He was probably more hurt by Baileywick's rescuing."

A sparkling caught my attention.

The picture of my parents started to light and swirl and suddenly my mother was in the room with us.

"Mummy! What are you doing here?" I sputtered holding Sofia a little tighter, trying not to let my mother see my state of undress.

"Oh Cedi darling, I couldn't help overhearing. I'm so glad the bracelet is working out so well."

Sofia and I both froze.

"The bracelet, mummy what are you talking about?"

Oh no…no,no,no,no, NOOOOOOOOO!

My mum only laughed her deceptive, sweet old lady laugh and patted me on the back.

"Well that's why you wanted it wasn't it, to make sure no one else touched Sofia?"

Sofia backed away from me now a look of utter rage on her face.

"You gave me a cursed bracelet?!"

I looked from my mum to Sofia and back in complete shock.

"No! I swear, I had no idea!"

Sofia scoffed at that yanking the bracelet from her wrist and throwing it at my feet.

"Don't even try to lie to me again Cedric. You said yourself, when we were dancing, you wished one of my partners would go up in flames and not ten minutes later James was almost roasted to death! That's an oddly convenient sequence of unrelated events wouldn't you say?

With that she turned on her drenched heels and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Sofia, wait!" I yelled, to no avail, before turning to my mother in a rage of my own. "Mother, you knew it was cursed!"

"Well of course Cedikins. I thought that's why you wanted it. It has a repulsion curse on it, has ever since my dearly departed father hexed it all those years ago to make of your grandmum's other suitors stop pursuing her. She probably only had it on for a day or two before every man in her village knew coming near her was detrimental to their health.

Of course Sofia is a very beautiful, popular princess. It might take one or two more balls before all her suitors realize they should leave off. But don't worry, I should think by next year you'll have eliminated all the competition. Of course it only works if she's wearing it. You have to go tell her to put it back on."

"Mummy! She isn't going to put it back on! In fact she's probably never going to speak to me again. The bracelet almost killed her brother! The bracelet I gave her!

Merlin's mushrooms even when I'm not trying to do something bad, I do something bad anyway. I didn't know it was cursed. I just wanted to give her something to tell her how much I love her."

I slumped onto the floor next to the cursed piece of jewelry.

"Ohhh, Cedi darling I am sorry. I forget she's not like us is she?"

With that paltry apology my mother poofed out of the room leaving me to fall apart alone.

I had no idea how long I sat there before I began to shiver. Finally the discomfort broke through the numbness and forced me to pick myself up.

Going downstairs I discarded the towel in favor of a pair of flannel pants. Setting a fire in the grate I collapsed onto the bed, spread eagle, staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

A single month.

"Well what did you expect, you bumbling sod? That you would marry the most spectacular woman in the world and live happily ever after? You're a villain, you ruin other people's happily ever afters you don't get one yourself!"

Even that wasn't true. Villains didn't ruin happily ever after's, they died terrible, well deserved deaths a few lines before those words appeared at the end of every fairytale.

I didn't even think I'd get that.

I would end a footnote in Sofia's story. A bad mistake, blessedly discovered before too much heartache ensued.

Only _my_ life was over.

Suddenly the bed dipped.

Turning red rimmed eyes I came face to face with my Princess.

She looked about as good as I did.

No, even cried out and tear streaked she was breathtaking. Damn her.

She must have been waiting for me to react.

When I didn't she crawled over to me, her billowy nightgown brushing against my chest as she leaned down, tentatively, almost timidly, and pressed her lips to mine.

"Your mother explained everything." She whispered.

"What?" I felt sure I hadn't heard that right.

"You're mother appeared in my room about ten minutes after I stormed out of here and explained you didn't know the bracelet was cursed. That you just wanted to give me something special to tell me how you felt, no nefarious ulterior intentions.

I'm sorry I doubted you."

My hand came up to cup her cheek as we kissed again.

"I wouldn't try to kill your brother." I said earnestly, leaving off the rest of that sentence, which when fully spoken would have gone something to the effect of… 'I wouldn't try to kill your brother, if I could toast anyone like a royal marshmallow I'd be singing campfire songs over your father.'

(We'll cover the difference between omitting and lying in a future chapter.)

"I'm so sorry, Cedric. Can you forgive me?" Sofia's eyes were liquid blue and fearful.

"Do you really have to ask? Honestly I can't blame you really, it's probably something I would have done not all that long ago.

What are you doing to me Sofia? I feel like I'm losing myself in your fathomless goodness."

She smiled as a few tears slipped down her face.

"I'm just loving you Cedric. Not very well tonight, but overall I'm just loving you."

"Oh…no one's ever done that before."

Her lips descended again and then she was in my arms, in my bed, warm and soft and sweet and still mine….


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone who's been following this story and especially those who have reviewed. It really means a lot to me, especially since I'm trying out something I don't feel all that comfortable with. Melodrama I'm good at, humor not so much!**

 **Chapter Three:**

It's just soooo good when you're bad!

The longer you're with your hero, the deeper you'll probably find yourself sucked into the vortex of their goodness.

Try not to feel bad about this, it's inevitable.

They're the humanitarian equivalent of black holes. You think you'll just get a little closer and before know it you're clinging to the walls by your fingernails while the laws of nature try to pull you into the abyss of charity and compassion.

You'll wonder how it came to this? You'll feel shame over all the disgusting acts of kindness you've performed just to please them. And you'll feel as though you'll never find the self-respect to call yourself a villain again.

But I assure you that any villain/hero relationship is about compromise and balance. You just need to give your hero the confidence to understand that sometimes… it's not just okay, it's actually _good_ to be bad ...

…"No, I can't, I just can't anymore!" I groaned. "I need to lie down, take some herbal remedies, perhaps a cold compress. I should hydrate."

Sofia giggled as we walked down the main street of Dunwitty.

"You say that every time we visit the village. You did good deeds, _Mr._ Cedric, you haven't contracted scarlet fever!

I leveled her with my best sneer.

"Are they any different?"

She laughed again, shaking her head as she pulled me into an alleyway between two cottages. We both looked around making sure we were perfectly alone, and then she threw her arms around me and kissed me as though she were starving. Her soft lips pressing fiercely against my own. Her tongue sliding out to beg entrance to my mouth as though she need ever ask.

When we parted she looked up at me, eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Thank you for coming with me today, even if you only did it for me. You made so many people happy and did so many good things."

What could I say when she gazed up at me like that?

"Wicked wench, you know I'd do anything for you. You spelled me long ago with your enchanting Sofia-ness and I've been powerless to resist you ever since."

She gave me an impish expression, eyebrow cocked and lips lifted in a one cornered smirk.

"You talk a good game, Mr. Villain, but I didn't ask you to help that little girl who was being picked on, or to heal the boy with the bad burn on his face. You helped them because you wanted to."

Damn it, I had thought she wasn't paying attention.

"I…well…I couldn't… they're so little they don't deserve…" I trailed off, lost in memories of my own childhood. Children were so mean, always picking on those who were different, those who were weaker. It wasn't fair!

I was brought back to the present by a pair of arms hugging me tightly. Sofia laid her head on my chest and squeezed me for all I was worth.

"There is so much good in you, Cedric. You try to hide it, but I see it. I've always seen it."

I laughed a little uncomfortably, hoping to end the conversation before she got me to admit anything she might be able to use against me at a later date.

"My sweet, delusional love, come."

We walked out of the alley, each of us nervously glancing around before turning down the street as though nothing had happened.

It was fortunately not unusual to see the most beloved Princess in Enchancia and her faithful sorcerer around the streets of Dunwitty. Since that fateful day years ago when I'd accompanied her to give out apples, but was really trying to secure powers from her amulet, I had joined her on many do-gooding visits to the village.

Because once you gave Sofia an inch….

At least that's what I'd told myself at the time. I realized now I'd joined her because I wanted to be with her. I'd joined her because no matter how much I disliked everyone else, I'd always loved her in one way or another and seeing her smiling up at me, proud of me…well it was worth every miserable good deed performed.

We were just passing the charmacy, deciding whether or not we should stop in and browse, when the shop keeper came running out.

"Princess Sofia!" He said with a bow. "Master Cedric how fortuitous, I was just about to send to the castle to let you know your special order has finally arrived." The old wizard waved us in the door with a huge smile.

"Good morning Mr. Marhands." Sofia greeted.

"Ohh, good morning Princess!" The shopkeeper was positively beaming as we walked through the store, pointing out all the new things he'd gotten which might tickle Sofia's fancy.

We finally reached the front and Marhands went around the counter, riffling around for a few minutes before producing a huge tomb and setting it in front of me.

When I looked at the cover I felt sweat break out on my brow. I had ordered the book months ago and then completely forgotten about it.

"Translations and Transmutations: The Definitive Guide to Becoming All They Fear." Sofia read the title as one of her eyebrows crept ever higher on her head.

It had disappeared into her hairline by the time she looked up at me.

I gave her my best innocent smile while shrugging my shoulders and throwing up my hands.

"Villain remember?"

"I must say, I took a small peak when it came in this morning and I don't think you'll be disappointed Master Cedric. There are some truly amazing spells in there. I'd try them myself, but you know the wife, she disapproves of that sort of thing." The old wizard laughed conspiratorially at me.

"I believe I can sympathize." I gruffed, watching Sofia out of the corner of my eye as I paid for what was now sure to become an extremely expensive doorstop.

As we left the charmacy the village clock struck one and Sofia and I both frowned.

"We should be getting back." I said as we turned and began walking towards the castle.

Sofia seemed lost in thought for a few minutes and then all of the sudden she grabbed the spell book out of my hands and started leafing through it, her eyes growing ever wider as she got farther in.

"Have you ever changed your state?"

There was something in her tone that made uncomfortable. But I'd promised myself, the moment she gave me her heart, I wouldn't lie to her about anything anymore.

In that respect it had been a _long_ few months.

"I have."

I kept my answer succinct; this wasn't a topic to overshare on.

She nodded and stayed silent for another few minutes.

"You were the snow beast in Arendelle weren't you?" Her voice was level but, as I'd feared, she was piecing many other things together.

"I was."

"You were the sea monster too weren't you? You tried to steal Oona's comb!" Her eyes were as wide as saucers now.

"Villain remember?" I said staring straight ahead at the cobbled path as it bent and wound its way to the castle.

"And you changed Amber into a butterfly on purpose didn't you!"

"Oh come on! She deserved that!"

Sofia laughed a little before stifling it to look at me severely.

"Nobody deserves that Cedric. She was really freaked out."

"Be that as it may, I stand by my answer."

She stopped and turned to me then a serious look on her face.

"I know you don't really want to be king, Cedric, but I need you to promise me you won't keep trying to take over the Kingdom."

I knew we'd been marching towards this moment since the day I gave her back her amulet, but I never expected it to be so easy to lay aside what had once been a life consuming ambition.

"No, I don't want to be king, not really. I hate people, except for you. And I hate wasting my time and talents on worthless tasks.

I don't spend a great deal of time with your father but whenever I am with him Baileywick is always lurking somewhere nearby with a comically long list of things the king needs to approve or solve.

If he followed me around like that I'd kill him.

Actually I'd kill him anyway if I thought I could get away with it. But if I were king I'd just have to replace him with someone else who'd follow me around pestering me all day about things I don't give a griffin's ball sack about. So no, I don't want to be king. I suppose I never really did."

"You just want people to treat you with respect and appreciate what you do, and maybe say thank you every once and a while." She finished for me.

I nodded.

"I wish I could make them all see how spectacular you are Cedric. But you have to know I think you're the most sensational sorcerer and the most amazing man on earth right? It's why I fell in love with you?"

I smiled at her. How could I not?

"Well, if Princess Sofia of Enchancia thinks I'm amazing enough to fall in love with than I'd be a bigger fool than even your father thinks I am to do anything to ruin that."

She threw her arms around me and started kissing my face, my nose, my cheeks, my forehead as she bounced up and down. But then she suddenly pulled back, a look of worry on her face.

"What is it, love?" I asked.

Her hands cupped my cheeks and her eyes searched mine.

"I just…is it enough? Is my love really enough to keep you out of the dark?"

I wrapped my arms around her, not really caring any longer that we were out in the open.

"Just think of me like as a lifelong fixer upper. You've been improving me since the day we met. It's just a slow process. After all, my father is still working on my mother and they've been married for four decades."

She smiled at me then.

"We're a lot like them aren't we?" She asked, taking my hand and starting to walk again.

"You don't spend much time with sorcerers besides my family, but I can assure you when people like us pair it's usually like this. It brings a sort of balance. Good and bad, yin and yang, I make your life more interesting and you keep my neck out of a noose."

That brought a giggle.

"People like us?"

I nodded squeezing her hand.

"Magically gifted people. You're my apprentice after all aren't you?"

She nodded smiling wide.

"Well, then you're one of us. You'll be a powerful sorceress in your own right one day, I promise you Sofia."

She let go of my hand to throw her arm around my waist and I followed suit putting my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into me.

"Good, because I don't think four decades will be enough! I'll need much, much more time to keep you firmly on the straight and narrow."

I leaned down kissing the top of her head and her hand squeezed my waist.

"You never know, I might get you to be a little bit naughtier too!"

"For you, I think I could be very naughty!" She laughed, knowing how she was teasing me.

The castle was in sight now and we parted so there was a respectable distance between us.

"This book is really interesting though." She opened it again, her natural love of magic taking over. "Have you ever been a dragon?"

I looked over to the page she had opened.

"No, but it looks like fun doesn't it?"

"Um, are you kidding? It looks _ah-mazing_! Do you think we could try it sometime?"

"I think we could, but I believe you have a garden party to attend soon don't you?" Sofia's face fell.

We were in the castle now, making our way up to my tower.

"Amber's invited all our friends from royal prep." She handed the book back to me as we walked into my workshop.

"I would think you'd be happy about that. You don't get to see them every day anymore since you graduated."

I took the book and pulling her into me.

"Hugo is going to be there." She looked as though she was sucking on a lemon.

"Well his humiliation did give you a month long reprieve from his attentions."

Sofia smiled and looked down at her wrist where the bracelet I gave her was once again resting, after being thoroughly de-cursed.

"Hmm, would I be very bad if I said I wished the bracelet had driven him away for good?"

I laughed a little before kissing her softly.

"Probably, but you know you aren't going to be reprimanded for that by me. Go and get ready, I'll see you there. You know Amber would never have a gathering where she didn't trot me out like a party favor."

She looked up at me with adoring eyes.

"I know you hate these things but I can't wait to see what you do. You know I love your magic."

"And you know I'll really be performing for you."

With one last kiss she turned and left me to get ready.

.o~O*O~o. .o~O*O~o. .o~O*O~o.

The green smoke from my transportation spell dissipated and I was standing in front of thirty young royals. Some of them I remembered from various visits to the castle others I didn't know at all.

There were ohh and ahhs from a few of them and applause as they settled on blankets on the grass. Amber shared hers with prince Hugo's brother and from the looks of it, she was decidedly more interested in him than he was in her.

Sofia was sitting right in front of me a huge smile of anticipation on her face until Hugo decided to come and sit beside her. She frowned slightly but didn't get the chance to say anything.

"Oh Hugo, thanks for saving me a seat!" James suddenly bounded up stepping in between Sofia and the other prince. His unceremonious plop to the ground forced Hugo to make room for him.

I hadn't liked the boy when he was growing up, but James had turned out to be a first rate older brother. He was always quick to step in and make sure Sofia's kind nature wasn't being taken advantage of. A brotherly duty he had been called on to do more times than I could remember as Sofia grew from a kind, pretty child whom everyone wanted to be around to a stunning, desirable woman many of his friends wanted to win.

I'd have to remember to do something nice for him.

DEAR GOD! HAD I REALLY JUST THOUGHT THAT?!

What in Hades' Hell was she doing to me?

Shaking away the disturbing fact I'd just thought of doing something nice for someone without being coerced into it, I dove into my show.

Over the years I had gone from being a warm up act for milk and cookies to a compliment for copious amounts of wine. It was still utterly beneath my talents, but at least the alcohol made them all easier to please.

The show was blessedly over in a half hour and I disappeared in the same puff of smoke I had arrived in.

Reappearing just beyond the garden I watched as Amber, James, and Sofia bid their friends farewell. All accept Hugo and his brother, who Amber invited to stay for dinner with batted eyes and blushing cheeks.

I knew Sofia was aware of my presence because as soon as the other guests left the garden she began walking towards where I was concealed.

"Sofia, aren't you coming in?" Hugo stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Oh, I was just going to…" I could tell she was searching for an excuse that would get him to leave her alone. "Well I was um…that is …why don't you go in with Amber, James, and Axel. I'll be right up I just want to gather some herbs for Mr. Cedric. I'm going to help him make a potion tomorrow and I know he could use some extra thorny blackberry."

Sofia tried to move past him, but suddenly he grabbed her hands and pulled her into him, examining her palms.

"A princess shouldn't be picking weeds in the garden Sofia, especially not for a servant." He was smiling down on her but his tone was a disturbing combination of superiority and threat.

"Cedric isn't a servant. He's the royal sorcerer. But even if he were, I can gather whatever I like for whomever I like Hugo." There was an edge to Sofia's voice which I knew meant she was moments away from having a very rare loss of temper.

"Unless their royalty their all servants and you seem overly fond of this one Sofia. That's not a smart thing for a girl in your position."

She ripped her hands away from him then.

"In my position?" If the boy had any sense he would keep his mouth shut and back away slowly.

"Yes Sofia." He exhaled her name loudly as though it was tedious to have to explain such obvious things. "You're not royalty by birth and if you want to make a good match you're going to need to stop playing magic with that old fart, stop acting like every maid and butler is your best friend, and start paying attention to the people who count. People like me."

"People like you?"

The boy truly had no idea how dangerous it was when Sofia started repeating the last thing you said.

"Surely you have to know by now how much I want you. I don't care that you were born a peasant Sofia, I'd make you mine in an instant, but you never give me a chance. You can't seriously prefer spending your days bent over a book with that crackpot sorcerer of your fathers to all the things I could give you?"

He tried to retake Sofia's hand but she slapped him away.

"You had better get as far away from me as you can Hugo. Otherwise I'll show exactly what I've learned bent over a book with my sorcerer and I promise you won't like any of it!"

With that Sofia turned and began walking away, completely missing the truly wondrous expression of offended shock on the boy's face.

She was so upset she almost sauntered right past me, and so I was reached out and grabbed her.

"Cedric!" She threw her arms around me, her body trembling slightly.

I could tell she was too angry to scream and to frustrated to cry and that she needed some form of release before she simply spontaneously combusted.

"Come," was all I said as I put my arm around her shoulder and led her into the woods that bordered the castle.

"Where are we going?"

"I thought we might have some fun." I looked down on her with my best evil sneer and was rewarded with a shiver of excitement.

When we were far enough away from the castle and well shrouded by the trees, I pulled out the transformation book I'd bought this morning.

Sofia's eyes grew wide.

"Really, can we?"

The boy and his nastiness were forgotten as she bounced up and down with excitement.

Part of me wished he could be here to see just how much she wanted to be with me and not him. I might have nothing to give Sofia but my love and my magic, but it seemed those were the things she truly wanted.

"I'll go first," I smirked. "The counter spell is on page two thousand ninty-eight by the way, don't forget that in case I end up turning myself into a banana slug or something."

Sofia giggled but promised nonetheless as I lifted my wand above my head.

"Lords of flame

Masters of flight

Transform this man into a creature of fire and night"

Green light shot out of my wand, heading straight up in a glowing arch before spiraling back down, creating a swirling barrier around me.

I watched Sofia's eyes grow wide with amazement and suddenly I was looking down on her from a great height.

"Did it work?" I had only to ask the question to see a puffy ring of smoke leave my mouth.

Sofia nodded her head somewhat incredulously but whatever she said I couldn't hear from the tree tops. Extending my hand I saw it was no longer a hand but a shimmering green and purple stripped paw covered in scales that reflected the sunlight brilliantly, with sharp black claws at the end of each finger.

I settled my hand/paw on the ground in front of her and she looked at it, awed, for a single moment before stepping into it and sitting down.

I lifted her up, until I was holding her out in front of my face.

She smiled at me and reached out a tiny hand. I lowered my face slightly and felt her caress what would have been my nose, but was now a long, equally scaled snout.

"What did you say?" I asked her, trying my very best not to let any smoke escape.

"I said you're sensational! And you make a pretty good looking dragon!" She laughed, still petting my snout.

"Hmm, it does rather suit doesn't it?" I laughed, hearing how the sound echoed.

"I would definitely say Dragon is your best look so far."

"Want to join me?"

She nodded her head and I began to lower to her to the ground when there was a bellow from directly below us.

"Put her down you beast from hell or I'll make a dragon skin rug out of you!"

Sofia and I both looked at each other and groaned.

There was Hugo riding up on horseback, shield and sword in hand. And just in case his prowess as a handsome, noble prince wasn't enough to win the day, he'd brought a contingent of soldiers from the castle with him.

"He doesn't take a hint does he?" I asked.

"He's probably thanking his lucky stars right now. Thinking if he saves me from a dragon I'll be so grateful I'll forget he basically called me a jumped up peasant. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm totally fine with it if you want to singe him a little."

I gave her an approving sneer, complete with a little steam.

"Careful love, you might want to take your amulet off before you go around saying such adorably wicked things."

Putting her on the ground I leaned up against a tree as Hugo stopped feet from her. I had a feeling if I played my cards right I could get her to take care of the Prince all by herself and maybe encourage a little of the naughtiness I was dying to see.

"Don't worry Sofia, I'll save you!"

"Hugo you don't need to save me…."

He didn't even paying attention to her. He simply pushed her behind him and brandished his sword, which looked about as frightening as your average toothpick, poking it at my leg.

"Hugo!" She'd walked right up to him now, patting him on the back as he continued to poke me.

There were snickers from the soldiers, who seeing the princess was in no danger, where sitting back to watch this display of idiocy.

"Sofia, run! I'll hold him back while the soldiers get you to safety!"

Laughing at the absurdity of it all I let out a little fire, making sure to miss him, but only by an inch or so.

Hugo jumped back screaming.

"Hugo just go back to the castle okay!" Sofia yelled at him exasperatedly.

"Don't fear for me Sofia! I might not live through this but you're worth any danger. Only promise me that if I survive you'll look favorably on my suit." He stopped annoying me long enough to look back at Sofia who was picking up my wand. "Sofia?"

"Lords of Flame

Masters of Flight

Transform this woman into a creature of fire and night"

Sofia held my wand above her head as it shot out purple light before engulfing her in ribbons of magic. Before everyone's eyes she began to transform, until a purple dragon, only a bit smaller than me, stood in her place, holding my family wand carefully between two black claws.

"SOFIA!"

A telltale stain spread out from the center of the boy's pants and he began to scream as Sofia bent over, picking him up by the back of his shirt and hauling him high above the tree line. He didn't stop until he was staring at her long purple snout with its smoke fuming nostrils.

"I told you, you weren't going to like it Hugo!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Sofia! Please put me down." He blabbered, bursting into terrified tears.

"But Hugo, you came all the way out here. It seems such a shame for you to make that long trip for nothing. And after all I wouldn't want you to think I was ignoring you; not when your, how did you put it, someone who counts!"

"Ahh, no, no it's really okay. I totally understand. You can do whatever you like with whomever you like."

"Oh Hugo that's so sweet of you! You just wait right here and I'm sure the castle guards will have no problem getting you down…eventually. Maybe you can even make friends with one or two of them, it might make them more inclined to help you."

With that Sofia hung Hugo by the back of his shirt from one of the taller branches of a large pine tree.

Handing me my wand she picked up the spell book between two dainty claws and spread her large gossamer purple wings.

"Want to test these out?" She looked at me with what I can only assume was the dragon version of her most winning smile before flapping her wings and pushing off into the sky.

I watched her for only a second, awed by how utterly awesome she was, before spreading my own wings and joining her.

It didn't happen often but when Sofia was bad she was thoroughly good at it!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone who's been kind enough to review this story, it means so much! I'm sorry this took so long. Once I get an idea I manage to write it pretty fast, but coming up with (hopefully) cute, non-angsty stories appears to be a real challenge for me.**

 **Also I wasn't sure if Rapunzel's parents are the first king and queen of Corona or not, but for the purposes of this story let's pretend they're not.**

 **Chapter Four:**

The Ol' Switchawhichitous Switcheroo

Or

Don't Let Old Habits Die Too Easily

Despite all the changes you've been making and all the evil you've indefinitely relegated to the backburner, I'm sure you've realized by now, when you and your hero are together nothing could be more wonderful!

It's the rest of the time that can be trying. The times when you're forced to be a part of their goody-goody world of cookies, unicorns, and light.

Not only is all that sugar, dander, and UV radiation bad for you, it's just plain depressing too!

It can sometimes feel like you're the only sane person among a bunch manic, do-gooding fliegals intent on pushing everyone to be HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY… _or else_!

Don't despair. I promise if you look hard enough you'll find you aren't the only one sitting among the nutty pixies longing for just a taste of the checkered past.

I urge you to seek those people out. You'll need each other. And you may be surprised to find out their company can show you good new ways to be the old bad you….

"Land Ho!"

The cry went up and suddenly a hundred sailors were buzzing by us, ruining what had been the perfect end to a perfect night: Sofia and me on the prow of Enchancia's royal barge, standing far too close together, watching the sun come up.

"I guess it couldn't last forever." She sighed wistfully before peaking round, making sure everyone's attention was elsewhere.

Then her lips were pressed against my cheek, giving me a soft kiss that lasted far too long to be anything close to platonic or proper.

"We still have the return voyage." I reminded her, itching to put my arms around her.

I knew I couldn't, not with everyone up and about, but I was consoled knowing we'd have at least a few more nights like last night.

They'd be entirely worth the wait.

"I'll hold you to that." She was all teasing seduction, twisting a damp ringlet around her index finger and staring up at me with beckoning eyes.

"Sea monster's honor!" I swore holding up three fingers.

That got a giggle.

"Is that a thing?"

I sneered at her wickedly, before leaning down so my lips brushed the delicate shell of her ear.

"It is when you get to spend the night swimming with the most beautiful mermaid in the seventeen seas!" (And tangling her up in kelp and kissing her while she pretends she wants to get free-even though you both know she really, _really_ doesn't- and….)

"Sofia!"

We bolted apart to see Princess Amber gracefully navigating her way along the deck in our direction.

"Morning Amber!" Sofia smiled sunnily as we turned to face her, one hand sneaking back to squeeze my own where they were hidden by the folds of her dress.

"Sofia are you…wet?" Amber looked at her horrified, as though there could be nothing worse than getting saltwater in one's hair.

"Oh, yeah the… _water_ was a little wild earlier, we got… _splashed_." Sofia explained, the emphasis she put on some of her words completely lost on her sister.

"Oh, Good morning Cedric." Amber gave me a small nod, as though she'd only just noticed I was there. "Well, you'd better go and change, and quickly. Captain Vasquez says we'll be dropping anchor in less than a half hour." Amber looked Sofia up and down appraisingly and then grabbed her arm. "Come on, I'll help you. You don't want to be anything less than perfect when we meet princess Rapunzel!" Amber sing-songed the last words, her excitement making Sofia smile.

"Thanks Amber." They started walking away, Amber practically dragging her, but just before they disappeared below decks Sofia turned back and gave me a wanton smile.

"Poseidon help me." I gulped.

.o~O*O~o.o~O*O~o.o~O*O~o.

"King Rolland, Queen Miranda, Prince James, Princess Amber, and Princess Sofia of Enchancia, and their Royal Sorcerer Cedric the Sensational!"

Two hours later we were standing on the steps of the Royal Palace of Corona, being formally introduced.

Rolland and the King of Corona shared a manly greeting that was a rather silly combination of a handshake and a hug, the queens shared a real embrace, and Princess Rapunzel curtsied to Amber solemnly before turning to the youngest princess.

"Sofia!" Rapunzel's voice lost all decorum as she squealed girlishly and threw her arms around my princess.

"Rapunzel!" Sofia returned her enthusiasm and the two women sort of jumped and hugged at the same time, while everyone but me looked on astonished.

My actual memories of the Princess Ivy debacle were spotty at best, but Sofia had filled me in on the particulars long ago.

As I understood things it was the first of many times the Amulet had called Rapunzel to give Sofia advice. Looking at the two princesses beaming at one another I could see why. They were both of them pure sunshine. Radiating kindness, innocence, and love in waves that threatened to blind the rest of us. The amulet seemed to have realized, being so alike, Sofia would be best understood by this particular princess.

Rapunzel and Sofia were just pulling apart when another figure came bounding down the steps, straightening his dress jacket and finger combing his hair as he went.

"Eugene, how good of you to join us!" The king said, lifting an eyebrow in his son-in-law's direction, a look that managed to be both judgmental and indulgent all at the same time.

"Think nothing of it your Majesty. I wouldn't dream of missing the kingdom's big 1-0-0." The Prince replied nonchalantly, giving him a rakish smirk, before stepping up to shake hands with Rolland and James.

I thought we were finished with the introductions and prepared to move on when the Princess unexpectedly threw her arms around me.

"It's good to see you again Mr. Cedric!" Rapunzel said, somewhat shockingly.

The hug lasted only a second but left me stammering embarrassedly all the same.

"Oh…well, I'm…that is…" deep breath old boy, "I'm honored your highness." I finally managed.

Rapunzel just winked at me and then we were moving into the castle.

Corona's jubilee celebration was a whirlwind event lasting three days. Today's activities included greeting the royal family, get settled in, attending a stuffy welcome dinner, and enduring an endlessly boring ball.

Dinner was the usual royal affair with far too much food and far too little stimulating conversation. Being only a royal sorcerer, which put me above the other servants but decidedly below nobility, I was relegated to one of the back tables in the banquet hall. Something I found both insulting and relieving at the same time.

It meant I was being publically humbled but it also gave me a comfortably anonymous seat from which to watch Sofia, who sat in a place of honor at Rapunzel's right side.

The two women talked animatedly through dinner, smiling and laughing, beaming their sunshine around the room so no one really noticed or cared when the actual sun set.

All the while Amber watched with barely concealed jealously from her spot farther down the head table. Apparently Rapunzel was something of a childhood heroine of Ambers and seeing Sofia favored instead of her was causing Enchancia's eldest princess to lose her humor.

I couldn't say I felt sorry for her, but I did have an amusing few minutes contemplating what might have happened if the amulet had chosen Amber instead of Sofia.

After dinner the true torture began.

I hated balls, even ones I wasn't expected to perform at. I might have hated them more because there was nothing for me to do except stand in a corner and watch everyone else looking comfortably at ease while they enjoyed each other's insufferable company.

After Sofia and I danced the single dance I thought we could get away with without rousing suspicion, I took a glass of hundred year old wine from one of the serving maids and planted myself in a gloomy corner. Far away from both the dancing and the refreshments, I hoped I could disappear into the wall hanging until all this was over.

"I hate these things." A voice declared from my right, seeming to have materialized out of nowhere.

Turning slightly, I saw Prince Eugene, clearly already tipsy, a stain from one of the many sauces at dinner decorating the dead center of his perpetually disheveled dress coat, and a look like someone who hadn't realized Stockholm syndrome was an option painting his face.

"Hmm, I can't say I enjoy them much myself."

"They're so…boring!" His words were emphatic if slightly slurred and I found myself drawn into talking with him for what reason I had no idea.

"I've never understood the genteel predilection to crowd into a room that's much to hot and spend the evening blabbering about nothing while stepping on each other's feet.

"You know, if these were the old days, and I could manage sneak my way into a shindig like this, I'd be having so much fun." He laughed, taking a large swallow from his goblet, causing him to sway a bit unsteadily on his feet.

With that, Prince Eugene, destined to be King Consort of Corona, reformed miscreant and upstanding member of one of the worlds most respected royal families, proceeded to tell me in painstaking detail how he would abscond with the necklaces, rings, tiaras, medals and wallets of almost everyone who danced by us.

Drawing my wand from its pocket in my sleeve, I turned to him and gave a small, wicked leer.

"Yes well if these were the old days…." A bit of power dribbled off the end of my wand to fall to the floor as green smoke.

"Whoo!" The prince's eyes widened momentarily before his brows knitted together in a frown. "But here we both are, standing in a corner being as good as door mice.

Both of our eyes went to the center of the dance floor where Sofia and Rapunzel were dancing together, talking and laughing and generally making the whole room fall in love with them.

"They sure are worth it though aren't they, even if sometimes you wish you could do something just a little bit bad."

Lulled by the conversation, I nodded before realizing what I'd just done.

Prince Eugene must have seen my eyes pop out of my head, because all of the sudden I was being clapped on the back.

"Relax Cedric. You can see their simpatico. I know all about you and Sofia."

I looked at him, my incredulity plain in the way my jaw was now polishing the marble floor.

"There was that thing with the evil copy and you two had your 'get together cute' and I guess the amulet called Rapunzel to give some good advice. Some words of wisdom about how good girls can make it work with bad boys yada yada yada."

The prince put his index finger under my jaw and helped me close my mouth.

"So, do you want to get out of here?" He asked, as though he'd just had a stroke of genius.

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him, but he only responded with that smirk that raised one entire side of his face charmingly.

"I know a place. Meet me out front in ten minutes. I going to bring the horse and the frog, otherwise Rapunzel will worry."

Sometime later we were walking through the door of a peculiar little place that looked as though it was going to fall on its own front any second: The Snuggly Duckling.

Eugene was barely over the threshold when a cheer went up, only to die down almost immediately.

"Where's blondy?" Came from several of the less than reputable looking patrons, the bartender, and the one-handed man somehow playing the piano.

"Guys! It's great to see all of you too!" He said, sounding enthusiastic and sarcastic all at the same time. "It's boys night out, so no princesses. This here is Cedric, he's a sorcerer, so you know…at your own peril."

"EUGENE!" They all cheered suddenly, looking more wary of me than happy to see him.

"Aw, I knew you guys cared." Pulling me over to a table in the corner, he motioned to the barkeep. "Garson two tankards of your very best!"

When the 'very best' arrived I briefly wondered if perhaps I should refuse, but several mugs later it seemed a rather churlish, uppity thought I was glad I'd ignored.

"You know who has it good?" Eugene was working on his fourth, or fifth, gesticulating wildly with both hands as ale sloshed onto the table between us. "Robin Hood, he gets to steal and do all sorts of illegal things and everyone loves him, freakin' bastard."

"Yes," I said, darkly, drawing the single syllable out. "Well it just goes to show you what happens when you're born noble. All your misdeeds get painted with a rosy brush."

"Exactly! It's totally unfair! I've stolen waaaayyy more money than he ever has! Is anyone writing ballads about me? NO, freakin' bastards!"

We went on in that fashion for a while when the doors to the duckling swung open and group of enormous looking men came in laughing malevolently.

The room became hushed as they were quickly served and began talking excitedly.

"Here's for your troubles." One of them said tossing the barkeep a diamond ring.

"You guys pull a job tonight?"

The others began to crowd around the group.

"Heist of the century," the same thief answered. "The royal jubilee!"

Everyone became still at that as another of them produced two things which made Eugene and I freeze. A crown with three huge teardrop diamonds at the center, and a large purple jewel on a necklace.

"You robbed Princess Rapunzel?" The man at the piano asked.

"The whole party." The words were no sooner out of the thief's mouth than he, and the rest of the heisters of the century, seemed to realize this wasn't the place to crow about something like that.

"You didn't hurt the Princess did you?" A man with a large nose asked, threat clear in his voice.

Eugene and I were completely still in our corner, neither of us daring even to breath as we waited for the answer.

"No, no we didn't. We didn't hurt anyone. Well we roughed up our fair share of palace guards, but all the hoity toities are just fine. We just made them all a few pounds lighter if you know what I mean."

"You're going to be a few pounds lighter when we're done with you," The one armed pianist bit out.

A moment later there was chaos.

When the dust cleared the thieves had managed to escape, the duckling was in ruins, and Eugene was surprisingly sober.

Turning to the chameleon who'd been sitting on his shoulder the entire time he gave remarkably coherent instructions.

"Pascal head back to the castle with Max and make sure Rapunzel and Sofia are okay. Tell them to hang tight. We'll be back by morning."

The chameleon nodded. How he was going to relay any of that I had no idea, but they both seemed confident it was a sound course of action so I remained silent.

Once the little green messenger was gone, the prince turned back to me.

"Um, you know, Rapunzel doesn't like it when I steal." He said, something in the tone of his voice.

"Sofia doesn't like it when I…indulge my less than upstanding impulses either." I answered back cautiously.

"Of course stealing is when you take something that doesn't belong to you …."

Sneering happily I took my wand out and began twirling it between my fingers.

"Indeed, it could hardly be called _stealing_ if you're merely taking something back from someone it didn't belong to anyway."

"I like the way you think Cedric!"

"I'm honored your Highness." I replied as we both let out less than wholesome laughter.

"Come on, let's go find 'em!" He said, jumping up from his chair with all the enthusiasm of a toddler told there's birthday cake nearby.

"If I may," I said, remaining sitting. "There are far better ways to go about this than running off blindly into the night."

Prince Eugene raised an eyebrow curiously, until he saw my wand light.

Our interaction had gained the attention of a few of the ducklings battered occupants, who began drawing near.

"Do you have a map?" I asked the bartender.

There was some rummaging and some ale spilling and a few more punches were thrown but eventually a map was placed in front of me.

"North to south, east to west, show me where the Amulet of Avalor finds its rest."

"The amulet of Avalor?" One of the thieves looked at me with blatant curiosity.

"Yes, big white diamond set in a bracelet, you can't miss it when you see it." I said, nonchalantly as the Prince coughed into his ale.

On the table, a beam of green light was making its way around the map before stopping and making a small 'x' about three miles from the Duckling.

"There it is!"

"Let's go!" Eugene said, jumping up again.

This time I followed only to realize we weren't going alone. The prince and I both turned round wearing identical expressions of shock to see everyone from the duckling was pouring out behind us.

"Hey, no one steals from blondy!" The big nosed one said.

Why they continued to call Rapunzel blondy after all these years I hadn't the slightest clue but it seemed to make Eugene smile.

"Come on guys, let's have a little fun. I promise, pardons for everyone!"

While I'd never been a common criminal I had to admit I was thoroughly enjoying myself. Not only was I getting to indulge in a bit of wickedness, but the men from the duckling clearly thought my sorcery was awe inspiring, and I wouldn't even be in trouble for any of this when we got back!

It was a win, win, win if ever there was one.

A little later we were drawing around the clearing my spell had marked.

The thieves were dividing their spoils, one of them already having claimed Princess Rapunzel's crown and wearing it proudly. I looked around frantically to see the amulet was being argued over by two others.

"Let's get em!" The pianist said, smashing his hook into the palm of his good hand rather frighteningly.

"Cedric are you coming?" Eugene asked when I remained behind, lounging up against a tree.

"I'm a _royal sorcerer_ NOT a tavern brawler. But you go right ahead and get your heads bashed in. I'll be here if you need some magical assistance." I assured, waving them on.

"Alright, just…if you see anyone aiming for the nose, I expect that help!"

Without much planning they all went rushing into the clearing and another rag tag brawl ensued. Once everyone was happily engaged I pointed my wand.

"Hatuzi!" I said, aiming at Rapunzel's crown.

It came flying into my hands and I couldn't help the pleased little dance that came out of me.

Laying it on the ground I was just about to use the same spell to bring the amulet to me when I noticed it was now in the hands of one of the men from the duckling. Not wanting to start a fight with the Prince's friends, or anyone really who could break me in half with only their thumb and forefinger, I waved my wand and the fake amulet of Avalor I'd made years ago appeared in my hand.

"At least I don't need to worry about a distraction," I muttered as I watched the man being pummeled by two of the 'bad' bad guys.

"Switchawhichitous Switcheroo!" I said, and suddenly the real amulet was in my hand and the fake was in the grip of the 'good' bad guy.

Looking down on the cursed jewel I found, even though I had no intention of keeping it, it still gave me a thrill to know I'd successfully stolen it once again. However I knew all too well how the amulet tended to feel about these sorts of things.

"I'm taking you back to Sofia, so there'll be none of your bratty little antics, understand. If _anything,_ even a piece of lint, so much as clings to my hands I'll throw you in a swamp!"

With the amulet and the crown successfully retrieved I leaned back against my tree and let the others have their fun.

Eugene especially seemed to be enjoying himself, dodging in between fights, snatching up stolen jewels. For some reason I'd become invested in his having a decent time, so I let it go on until the sun started to peak up from behind the hills. Then, sensing it was time to head back, I waved my wand and conjured a contingent of guards.

They went galloping into the clearing scaring away the 'bad' bad guys, who ran for their lives, leaving everything they hadn't managed to put on behind.

Once they were gone the guards evaporated and only Eugene and the duckling's denizens were left.

They all looked at me and started cheering. I shrugged as though it was nothing. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy being a valued part of the group.

We met Maximus, Eugene's horse, conscience, frenemy, I honestly wasn't sure what, at the door of the Duckling. He'd been nice enough to bring a second horse with him, so after saying goodbye to Eugene's band of thieves with hearts of gold, we mounted, and began making our way back to the castle.

We hadn't gone far when Eugene pulled out the crown and began twirling it round on one of his fingers.

"You know I spent years planning the heist that brought this beauty into my life." He looked down on the thing with something like nostalgia. "It was going to be my ticket to a better life. It's weird how things turn out isn't it? This is going to be the second time I bring this thing back and I don't even care."

I pulled the amulet out of the sleeve of my robe and examined it.

"You don't have to explain. I spent more time than I care to admit trying to get this. I had it once before, but I gave it back."

"I gave the crown back because Rapunzel was worth more." He said, smiling at it now as though it were an old friend.

"I gave the amulet back because it cursed me with iron hands." I chuckled. I really did hate this thing.

"Ouch."

Before I knew it my mouth was opening again.

"But also because without it Sofia couldn't talk to her rabbit and that made her sad. I hate seeing her sad, especially when I'm the cause."

Looking back I realized how blind I'd been.

Anyone with eyes to see would have known that was the moment I essentially became a marked man. Sofia had already broken down a few of my barriers by then, but that was the moment I should have known I was done for. That was the moment she got her little fingers around my heart.

The two of us looked up from our no longer coveted treasures and Eugene smiled.

I couldn't help but smile back.

It seemed an unlikely thing for a villain to find a kindred spirit in a ballroom full of royalty, but stranger things had happened.

"Just do yourself a favor and don't let them make you a prince. It sucks."

I couldn't help the snort that left my mouth.

"No really. I mean having three meals a day definitely has its charm, but everything else, everything except the Princess, sucks."

"You needn't worry for me on that count. Rolland despises me. There's little chance he'll welcome me with open arms and put a crown on my head. The moment he finds out I've been sneaking around with his little girl they'll be erecting a scaffold with my name on it."

"Then do yourself a favor, skip the whole thing and take her away."

I looked over at him as though he'd grown two heads.

"I'm serious. If I had it to do over again….Well no, I couldn't keep blondy from her family when I knew how much she wanted one. But if she hadn't and I had it to do over again, I'd take her somewhere warm and secluded and sandy and spend the rest of my days stealing coconuts from monkeys and forbidding her to wear clothes."

By that time we were back at the castle and, as if to prove my point, we were greeted only by the king and queen of Corona, Rapunzel, and Sofia.

I suppose I should have been hurt king Rolland didn't care enough about my wellbeing to rouse himself out of bed. But I was still basking in the afterglow of being appreciated, even if only by a few thieves and a misfit prince.

So instead I watched as Rapunzel ran into Eugene's arms and, after he set her crown back on her head with a sexy smirk and a few snarky words, she covered him in kisses and promised a better reward to come.

That turned both her parents red as beets and, before things could go too far in public, the king and queen joined their daughter, enveloping Eugene in a group hug.

"Cedric," the king let go of Eugene after a moment and was walking over to me, his hand extended. "The Kingdom of Corona is forever in your debt. King Rolland is truly blessed to have a man such as you in his service."

With that he shook my hand and clapped me on the back.

I bowed low in response, for some reason unable to find any words, and continued to stand there while the happy family made their way up the stairs and back into the castle.

When they were gone Sofia rushed up to me.

"I was so afraid for you!" She said, and I could see it was taking all her willpower not to embrace me. I could sympathize, but we were too exposed here, even if the rest of Enchancia's royal family were all still snoring in their beds.

"I'm sorry I worried you, but I wasn't in any danger." I reassured her. "And," I waggled an eyebrow at her, "I _might_ have come across something on my little adventure."

Walking behind her I put my hand in front of her face and let the Amulet of Avalor slip out of my sleeve and into my palm.

"Oh Cedric, you found it!" She gasped.

Sweeping her hair to one side, I put the amulet back where it belonged and snuck a kiss to the back of her neck all at the same time.

"Thank you!" She said, and I sensed her gratitude had multiple layers.

Thank you for going after the amulet. Thank you for getting it back. Thank you for not keeping it and using it for nefarious purposes.

"Well, how can I go swimming with the most beautiful mermaid in the seventeen seas if she can't find her tail?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So even though this is a really loose little set of one shots I thought it was time to move the overarching story along a little. This came out rather silly and unbelievable, but I figure this whole story is a little silly so it's okay.**

 **Happy Mothers' Day!**

 **Chapter Five:**

But Honey…killing everyone you love and destroying everything good in the world is a perfectly acceptable alternative to telling your father we're together!

Honesty is the best policy!

Whoever said that was an idiot of such epic proportions I can only hope they suffered a satisfyingly ironic death mere moments later.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, the platitudes which fall from the mouths of morons often stick around long after their sayer has been rightfully eviscerated.

As a villain you will be more than familiar with the fact that honesty is usually anything but the best. It's more like the verbal equivalent of procuring the finest, most expensive textiles so you can use them to painstakingly weave your own noose. Dishonesty has, after all, brought you everything you have in life and likely kept you around to enjoy it.

But there are times when that most charmingly irritating of banalities actually becomes a necessity. Like when the alternative is losing the first good thing that's ever happened to you….

"…then you wave your wand in a circular, counter-clockwise fashion, like so, while saying the magic words, Movato Limita, and finally point it at the object you wish to transport. When it disappears you point again where you'd like it to reappear."

I demonstrated by moving Wormwood's perch. Ignoring the indignant screeches of the bird who had been dozing on top of it before its sudden, unexpected disappearance.

He could eat it as far as I was concerned. The feathered ingrate had been doing nothing but sulking and screeching at me for months now. Completely bent out of shape I would dare to betray our partnership and fall in love with someone so decidedly _un-bad_.

"Like so," I said, satisfaction evident in my voice when it reappeared across the room.

Suddenly there were breasts crushed into my back and soft hips pressing into my rear. All while two delicate hands came alongside mine and small, elegant fingers aligned themselves with my own.

"That seems complicated," she whispered just below my ear, her voice as seductive as her pretense was false. This was a spell she could do in her sleep. Which was why I'd never bothered teaching it to her before. However, I planned to rearrange my tower come spring, and as my apprentice she was going to help. "Won't you show me again?"

"Teasing wench," I bit out, as her fingers slipped between my own, taking hold of me and her hips pressed forward again.

She only laughed...and wickedly at that.

I leveled Wormwood with a stare that said 'Put that in your birdseed and chew it!' as he resettled on his rematerialized seat.

"You told me you wanted to see me get more naughty!" She countered and I had no defense. I _had_ told her that, and even though I'd meant it in the evil sense, this was in a way, the evilest she could be.

The weeks to her eighteenth birthday were steadily slipping away, and if it hadn't been for the fact I'd put a firm hold on anything more serious than kissing and a few stolen touches there wouldn't have been a problem.

It _was_ true there had been the night when I'd given her the cursed bracelet. And the nights we'd gone swimming in the ocean on our way to and from Corona. And there was the other time when….. But other than those few slips, our relationship had been completely innocent. She was still _technically_ innocent. And I was determined to keep it that way until we declared ourselves to her family. Which I was adamant we mustn't do a second before midnight on her eighteenth birthday.

Which was why we were both starting to buckle under the strain of restrained desires. And now she was teasing me in the most merciless, mercenary way she could.

I should have been applauding her… I most definitely was not. It was just like my princess to learn everything I had to teach her and then use it against me!

"Well you see, you just…." I was a millisecond away from turning in her arms and kissing her until she was breathless when the there was an unexpected bang on the door.

We jumped apart guiltily just in time for Baileywick to come waltzing in. Sighing I decided to take out a little of my frustration in the only available way. Being rude to my least favorite person save the King.

"It's customary to wait until your knock is answered, Baileywick." I snarled at him. "What do you want? I'm very busy!"

It had become something of a game between us over the years. How rude could each of us be without it actually coming to curses or thrown punches. Since Baileywick was one of the few men I was fairly certain I could take in a fight, it might actually come to blows one day, though I'd much rather hex him. Sofia said he made a lovely frog.

"Yes I can see," he replied dryly. "Do be careful Cedric. You wouldn't want to overwork yourself. With how frequented your tower is, it might be days before anyone realizes you've expired from the exertion."

"I'm here all the time!" Sofia suddenly burst in, a look of hurt indignation on her face that seemed to startle the faithful steward.

So much so he coughed and fidgeted about uncomfortably for almost a full minute.

"Yes, of course Princess. Actually it's you I'm looking for. Prince Desmond has come for tea and brought his cousin the Grand Duke Andrew with him. They and Princess Amber are waiting for you in the garden gazebo. I've been instructed to fetch you there immediately."

The two of us shared a look, and then she was smiling at the steward with all the grace and charm she'd learned in the past nine years. It was a considerable arsenal, as well I knew.

"Oh, that sounds lovely. But I'm not dressed to receive a Prince, no less a Prince _and_ a Grand Duke. Would you be so kind as to run back down to the garden and let Amber and everyone else know I'll be just a few minutes more. I want to go downstairs and freshen up first. I should change my dress too."

Her easy acquiescence seemed to please the persnickety steward and he gave her a doting, fatherly smile.

"Of course Princess Sofia!" With that Baileywick leveled me with one last disapproving gaze and turned to head back down the tower steps.

When he was gone, Sofia closed the door as quietly as possible and turned back looking for all the world like a deer run down by a pack of wolves.

"This is the fifth 'unexpected' visit by a Prince in as many weeks." She said, her voice trembling.

"Sofia…." She didn't let me finish.

Instead she bounded towards me and threw her arms around my neck, practically choking the life out of me.

"Cedric we have to tell them! I'm getting worried, most especially because Amber seems to be in on it. Ambushing me with everyone she can think of that I ever so much as looked at kindly and now their relatives too!"

"What are you afraid of?" I asked, realizing she'd been on edge for quite some time.

"I'm afraid Amber is helping Dad narrow down my list of options. That if I'm not careful he may decide to just pick someone for me and I won't find out until the deed's already done. We have to tell them about us!"

If I were anyone else, I would have agreed with her, but….

"What makes you so sure your father won't rush to betroth you when he finds out you've been slumming it with me all these months. Our telling him might end up being a catalyst for him to act impulsively rather than a deterrent."

"Don't ever use that word again," she pinned me with an angry look.

One I couldn't help laughing at, though it was a rather pitiable, self-deprecating laugh.

"What else would you call it when a beautiful, brilliant girl with the world at her feet and her whole life before her chooses to set her affections on a bitter, sinister, old hack twice her age?"

Her hands left my neck to grab onto the lapels of my robe, and she pulled me close with a fierce expression in her eyes.

"I'm not dignifying your description of yourself Cedric. You know I don't think a single word of that is true! And I will never hear you use the term 'slumming' to describe what we have again. Do you hear me? As for the rest of it. I call it true love, because that's what it is."

I couldn't fight her answer even if I wanted to. I had no other words to describe what I felt for her, no matter how hopeless it was or how impossible it would have seemed only a year ago that I should feel this way.

Looking down at her, clinging to me so earnestly, I remembered Eugene's words from only a few weeks ago.

"Why don't we just skip the whole thing and run away! Where would you like to go? Name a place and we can be there before you can say 'Prospero's Pickles'!"

"Enchancia!" She deadpanned.

"You're impossible sometimes you know that?" I sighed, untangling her fingers from my robes and taking a step back to rake a hand through my hair.

"Do you love me?" She asked, stepping forward, obliterating what little personal space I'd managed to take back.

"You know I do! How could I not? I'm malevolent, _not_ insane." I sighed again, leveling her with a sober expression.

"And do you want to marry me?" Her arms were back around me, all of her front pressing against all of mine. Making it very hard to talk, no less think.

"I'm not one to harp on labels," I laughed, trying to inject a little levity into the situation, since we both knew I was entirely obsessed with such things. But she only pinned me with a raised eyebrow and a decidedly impatient quirk to the side of her mouth. "I want whatever will give me all of you, for the rest of our lives. So yes I want very badly to marry you, Sofia."

She tipped up on her toes and pressed her petal pink lips to mine so sweetly it forced a small whimper from me.

"Then we need to tell them before things spin out of our control."

"Or you could just lend me your amulet. I'll have your father deposed before dinner and then we can celebrate with a quickie ceremony. You'll be Mrs. Cedric the Sensational by bedtime!" I gave her my most roguish, charming, crooked smile and brandished my wand all eager beaver and ready to go!

"Cedric…." She pulled out my name to twice its normal length.

"What? It's a perfectly reasonable alternative. I won't even kill them. Except for Baileywick. I'm definitely killing Baileywick. But come on four lives for the price of one… that's still a great deal for a bloody coup!"

"Cedric you promised!" She was looking at me with those eyes, the ones that said this was her one deal breaker.

Damn her!

"Fine, fine, but you're forgetting one thing."

"Oh?"

"Sofia, you're seventeen."

"If you say those words to me just one more time, or use them as an excuse for not doing something I'm desperate to do just one more time, I'm going to start answering every question you ask me with the words 'Cedric you're thirty-five'."

"Sofia, it makes a difference. Your parents might be entertaining the idea of interesting you in young men your age, but they will most certainly have my head on a platter for one- raising my sites to a princess and two-picking the one who's still technically underage!"

Sofia just huffed at me angrily.

"I need to get changed." With those less than pleased words she pulled away rather forcefully and turned to leave.

Suddenly there was a tugging at my chest and the sound of something snapping and we both looked down to see her amulet on the floor.

"It must have gotten caught on my vest button." I said, shocked, as we both bent down.

Sofia retrieved the amulet and I the chain. Holding it up, the spot where the clasp had broken was clearly visible.

Before I could say more she was putting the stone in my empty hand and turning for the door.

"Do you think you can fix it? I don't have time to right now and I don't feel comfortable leaving it unattended in my room."

Part of me wanted to point out I was a royal sorcerer _not_ a jeweler or question why she would prefer to leave it with the guy who'd just proposed using it to take over, but we both knew I wasn't going back on my promise when the result would be losing her. And besides I'd already had it all to myself not too long ago and given it back. So there seemed little chance of my scoring a verbal victory by being dickish.

I nodded to her instead.

She seemed satisfied and headed for the door, but before she could go through it I found myself calling out to her, hating to leave things so tense and unsettled between us.

"You'll come back later?" Weak and pathetic thy name is Cedric.

She turned back and for a moment her face went soft and almost forgiving, but then she must have remembered I was being an unreasonable, intransigent dick (in _her_ mind) and instead she leveled me with a hard gaze.

"Cedric you're thirty-five."

And with that she was off to her tea party.

I actually did have many other things to do. While it was true I'd often used it as an excuse in the past to try to get her to go away, I was actually a very busy royal sorcerer. And at the moment I had no less than ten potion requests pending and two spells I needed to find and perfect so I could use them in the village on the King's business.

But instead I moped, and twisted the amulet's broken chain around my finger, and wondered if I was truly being an unreasonable, intransigent dick, of if she was in fact being a stubborn, naïve…TEENAGER!

On the one hand, I fairly detested Sofia's step-father (a feeling I was sure was mutual) but I'd never taken him for a royal pimp trying to offload his daughters the second they reached their 'sell by' dates. So I found it hard to believe he was actively trying to find Sofia a suitor before she even reached the established age of adulthood.

On the other hand, Amber had recently become engaged to Freezenburg's heir: Crown Prince Carl something von somethings-berg. And that might mean Rolland thought it was simply Sofia's turn. Sofia was right, there had been a rather large number of Princes just popping by wanting to have tea, or walk the gardens, or play croquet with her as of late.

Not being popular with…well… anyone I was limited in my knowledge of castle gossip and goings on.

If we said nothing we might indeed find out we'd waited too long.

One didn't simply get out of a royal betrothal by admitting that ops, you'd been meaning to get something off your chest for a while but hadn't found a good time. In which case I would have to steal her away and then my head would be on a platter anyway.

On the other other hand, my reasoning still stood: the king hated me. I was in serious doubt his love for his daughter, no matter how genuine, was great enough to overcome his dislike of me. That wouldn't change simply because Sofia had turned eighteen, but at least I wouldn't look like a predator on top of everything else…at least not much.

Realizing I wasn't going to get anything done like this, I decided I would just fix the chain on Sofia's amulet so at least I could feel like I'd done one thing today that wasn't unreasonable, intransigent, or dickish.

It took hardly more than a few minutes to fix and when it was done I used a spell to magically strengthen the clasp, considering the thing looked positively ancient. Replacing the amulet on the chain I decided to test out my handiwork. Undoing my tie, I put the yellow silk on my worktable and put the amulet on. Sofia's chain was a good deal smaller than the one I'd used when I'd switched the amulet with a fake all those years ago, but I managed to get it on and proceeded to give it a few good tugs.

It seemed to be all mended and good as new.

I was about to take it off when the damn, cranky jewel lit!

"Now see here!" I began yelling at it, not at all in the mood for another game of 'carrot and stick the bad guy'. One afternoon of that had been quite enough for a lifetime thank you very much! "I was just fixing your damnable chain, you rotten, obnoxious piece of costume jewelry!"

"If you're far enough gone you spend your days talking to inanimate objects, I'm not sure I have much advice you'd find helpful." A purring alto voice suddenly lilted to me from behind my back.

Turning around I couldn't help yelping at the figure standing before me.

"Neptune's Nettles, how on earth are you here?

She laughed, and I had the distinct feeling it was at me and not with me.

"The amulet sent me."

"I thought the amulet only summoned princesses to help." I squeaked, still shocked and clasping the purple jewel I was beginning to think was in fact far more sentient and far more trenchant than anyone had been giving it credit for.

"Well, what are Queens really but princesses who've gotten a promotion? Or in my case, who were at the head of a… _hostile_ takeover." She laughed now, a silky, sinister sound that was as smooth as it was blood curdling.

"Still, I can't remember Sofia ever mentioning a visit from someone like you."

"I doubt there's much advice I'd have to give Princess Sofia she'd be open to accepting. A loss which is entirely her own, I might add. On the other hand, I can't really see you having a meaningful heart to heart with Snow White either. You get the princess you need Cedric old boy. Now, tell me _precisely_ why I'm here? I have executions to attend and hearts to box. I'm _not_ on indefinite retainer."

"Yes, of course…" I coughed, trying to get my bearings.

I'd never been one to bare my soul easily to anyone, but there was something rather tantalizing about the thought of getting some bad old fashioned advice from a personal hero! Merlin was still my number one, but when it came to sheer villainy few had it over the Evil Queen!

"Well, you see the issue is this…."

Ten minutes later I'd managed to tell her basically the entire story and she's was staring at me with a look of overwhelming incredulity on her flawlessly perfect face.

"Remind me again why you're wasting time telling me the plot of a bad romance novel instead of using that," she gestured to the jewel still at my neck, "to take over the kingdom yesterday?"

"I told you, I love Sofia! I don't want to be king. I don't want to rule. I want a happily ever after with my princess." I said as though I must not have made that clear the first time.

Suddenly she was slinking her way across the workshop floor to come and place a hand against my forehead.

"You're not feverish? There must be something else wrong with you." She murmured to herself, only to have Wormwood squawk loudly, circle the room a few times, and come to land on her shoulder.

She petted him from beak to tail feathers with a single perfectly manicured, blood red fingernail.

"It appears I'm not the only one who's worried for your sanity." She chuckled.

"Everyone's a critic." I muttered staring daggers at my supposed familiar.

"Well, I can't say I don't think your priorities are skewed, but my advice remains the same. If you want something you don't ask permission to have it. When I wanted to rule a kingdom I poisoned my husband and took his for myself. When his daughter got in my way, I ordered my huntsman to cut out her heart."

"That didn't turn out so well." I reminded her.

She looked at me hard and I backed away slightly, giving her a small, hopefully conciliatory smile.

" _Be that as it may_ , at least I didn't go down without a fight. Whether you want this kingdom or just its princess, don't ask permission Cedric. Take what you want and let those who would oppose you know how it's going be! Some will hem and haw, but you'll find others who respect guts."

With that she was gone in a puff of purple smoke and Wormwood again found his perch unceremoniously pulled out from under him.

He cawed indignantly and circled the room a few times.

"Serves you right, you traitor."

Pulling off the amulet, I looked at it hard.

"What do I have to lose?" I said to no one in particular.

Stalking down to the gardens I found Sofia sitting in the gazebo with Amber, Prince what's his name, and Grand Duke who now (?). Sofia had her back to me, but Amber saw me, though she seemed intent on ignoring me until I stepped up into the little structure and began making my way around the table.

"Cedric! What are you doing?" The eldest princess cried, rage evident in her voice as I pulled a shocked Sofia out of her seat and began dragging her back towards the castle.

"Sofia's busy right now. She can't finish tea!" I called over my shoulder without a backwards glance.

"Cedric?" Sofia's voice was as high pitched and uncertain as I'd ever heard it but she didn't try to fight the iron grip I had on her hand.

"You were right. I was wrong." I gritted out, more because I was trying to screw up my courage than because I hated admitting I was in error, though I did.

"About what?" She asked.

"You think there's more than one thing?" I countered irritatedly, looking back at her.

She only answered me with a raised eyebrow and that quirked half smirk.

"Will you at least tell me where we're going?"

There was no need to answer as we'd arrived at the double doors to the King's study. Bursting in without a knock or a by your leave I was relieved, or terrified (I hadn't decided yet), to find not only the King but the Queen and Baileywick all assembled.

"Cedric what is the meaning of this?" Baileywick huffed out, a look of mortal offense on his face.

"Shut up," I said before turning to the King.

"King Rolland," I started, watching as the man eyed me like he was already planning what to do with my limbs after he'd quartered them from my body. "I love your daughter and I intend to marry her after her next birthday." I declared without a single stutter, tremble, or obsequious stoop towards the floor.

"Excuse me?" He rose out of his chair into his best intimidating king pose.

"You heard me." I bit back, holding my head high and putting my arm around the woman I loved.

"Daddy," Sofia interjected, a look of utter, radiant innocence on her face, "I love him and we've been trying to find a time to tell you for a while now. I'm not going to be entertaining anymore would be suitors."

"You can't be serious Sofia! Cedric!?" He gestured to me as though I were a particularly rotten piece of fish found in an old newspaper. "Sofia, think of your future!" He started riffling through a stack of papers on his desk! Showing them to her one by one. "Prince Desmond _and_ his cousin. Prince Khalid, Prince Derrick, even Prince Hugo is still asking me for permission to court you, despite the dragon incident! And you'd rather have him?"

Sofia got a look on her face I was very much afraid might be accompanied by foot stamping, but then she seemed to realize it would be better if both of us weren't unreasonable, intransigent dicks.

"I have thought about my future dad. I want to become a duchess on my birthday just like Aunt Tilly did when she was my age. I want to marry Cedric, and I want to stay in Enchancia with my family and my friends. And I want…I want you to be happy for me."

Rolland was about to say something I was almost sure was 'guards arrest this man' when the Queen rose out of her chair and slammed her hand down on the King's desk.

"Rollie, SIT DOWN." I'd never heard Sofia's mother raise her voice, not once in the near decade she'd been Queen.

I had serious doubts Rolland had either, but his reaction was instantaneous. He immediately dropped back into his chair and closed his mouth like a contrite little boy.

"You promised me. You promised me the day I agreed to marry you that you would never make Sofia marry for duty over love. You don't have to like her choice, but you damn well better accept it, or I'll know everything you've ever promised me was a lie, and Sofia and I will walk out of this room, and out of this castle and never come back!"

"Miranda!" The King's voice sounded as helpless and pleading as I'd ever seen it.

"Cedric," The Queen walked over and put her arms around me affectionately. "Welcome to my family."

With that she turned around, sat back in her seat, and stared at the King with a gaze so withering I nearly begged mercy.

The seconds ticked down in silence as the King looked at me, then Sofia, then his wife, and then back at me. But finally he threw up his hands.

"Sofia, if this is what you want than I give you my blessing. But remember, marriage is _permanent_!"

"I'm well aware dad...thank you." And with that it was Sofia who did the pulling, tugging me out of the room, down the hall, up the stairs and back into my tower.

"So what changed your mind?" She asked, throwing her arms around me and planting little kisses all over my face.

I smiled down at her, holding up her amulet and allowing her to take it back from me.

"I got some _bad_ advice."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: It's a little pathetic how relieved I am to be posting this. My brain seems to have turned to mush! I really need to get used to 24 hours of daylight, cause my circadian rhythm is punch drunk right now!**

 **So I'm not sure how funny this is, but I put it in because I could totally see Wormwood going all vindictive bitch if Cedric ever did fall for Sofia or someone equally good!**

 **Chapter Six:**

He's not evil, he's my raven…oh wait.

Lost in the haze of true love it's easy to forget everything and everyone around you.

If you had chosen an evil lifemate your closest minions might consider this a nice time to kick back and relax a bit, catch up on some reading, take up that hobby they've been neglecting, maybe go on vacation.

But you didn't.

You chose a hero. A being whose very soul radiates near divine purity and goodness. So OF COURSE your closest underlings and/or adorably sinister animal companions can't help but detest them. Couple this understandable disgruntlement with lots of free time, from your sudden neglect, and congratulations!

You've just provided them with motive and opportunity!

So take my word for it. Don't let your newly fluttering tummies and reawakened hormones cause you to neglect those who've devoted their lives to helping you curse the innocent, slay the good, rob the poor to give to the rich, take over the kingdom, or the world, or the universe, or whatever your bag is! …

… "It should be right up here." Sofia looked down from the top rung of the pull ladder to encourage my puffing, panting form to keep going.

"Really there were easier ways to get this!" I said, in between gasps for air and tremors in my arms and legs.

Sofia only rolled her eyes and held out a hand to pull me up the last bit of the way.

"If you think I'm going to let you go out and kill a wolf for its pelt you don't know me well enough to be marrying me!" She huffed.

"If you thought I'd prefer being dragged to the top most attic of the topmost tower of the topmost…whatever instead, I can't believe I agreed to marry you either!"

I was thankful for the darkness of the attic because I just knew we were giving each other the stink eye.

"There's still time to turn back." She grumbled.

"No we're here now." I lit my wand so we could see.

"I was talking about the marrying me part."

Heaving a sigh that had nothing to do with having just climbed a bajillion stairs, I cupped her jaw, tilting her face up to mine.

"Are we having our first fight or our last?"

Sofia made a gruff noise and wound her arms round my neck.

"I suppose all this climbing is making us both a tad overdramatic!" She pecked the end of my nose before spinning away to illuminate the far corner with her own wand. "You know I'm never letting you out of my clutches right?"

I closed my eyes, breathing deep, more thankful to hear that than she could possibly ever imagine.

"But your wolf slaughtering days are over." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "actually that goes for pretty much all animals."

"Yes, yes, I know, and no stealing the amulet, or taking over the kingdom, or turning your nearest and dearest into animal hybrids. I suppose I'm not even allowed to turn toadstools into tornadoes anymore, eh?"

"Where you going to use those tornadoes to take over the kingdom?"

"Fine, fine." I grumbled.

Sofia made an empathetic face.

"My poor Cedric. Have I taken away all your fun?"

"I suppose having potions blow up in my face and constantly _failing_ at taking over the kingdom wasn't really fun…not much at least."

She put her wand down and picked her way around a bunch of sheet covered furniture back to my side.

"You know why none of that stuff ever worked out?"

I said nothing, but my raised eyebrow was question enough.

"Because you're _not_ a villain. Your magic is always strongest and most sensational when you're doing good." She pulled me down into a soft kiss.

Damn woman, she knew just what those kisses did to me.

"I don't know where you'd get an idea like that." I challenged, even though I was feeling _slightly_ less crabby with her taste on my lips.

"Well," she peppered her words with more tiny kisses to my jaw and neck, "there was the wonderful snowman and fireworks you conjured at Mystic Meadows. There's the ah-mazing snow you make every year on Wassalia. Your grow fast potions for Enchancia's gardens. How you taught a group of novices enough magic to save Royal Prep without being able to wave your wand. All the healing spells and potions you've created over the years. The way you rescued my amulet in Corona. And let's not forget how even the mighty Merlin couldn't defeat Morgana without your help! Since I've known you, every time you set your mind to doing right, your magic is always magnificent and never fails you!"

I could feel my shoulders straightening and my chest puffing with pride, just as she must have intended.

"Well…yes, I guess you're right!" All my frustration forgotten I pulled her into a much tighter, much more intense embrace.

"Besides," her mouth was a millimeter from mine, her sweet breath puffing against my lips, " _you're_ my dearest." Then she wound her fingers into my hair, wrapped her lips around mine, and crushed the two of us together.

I was dizzy with want and trying to maneuver us over to the furniture, scheming all the ways we could violate the spirit of the vow I'd made, not to violate _her_ till after her birthday, while still technically remaining within the letter of said vow… only to have it all ruined by something large and angry buzzing my head.

"Hades hell, I've had just about enough of you Wormy! I swear if you're not careful I'm going to turn you back into a rock!" I waved my gloved fist at the intransigent bird.

Wormwood's response was a series of loud squawks and bitter sounding caws which didn't die down until he settled on a large object draped in black cloth at the back of the attic.

"What did he say?" I asked Sofia, seeing her eyes beginning to water.

"It's not worth getting upset about." She sniffled.

Despite the fact she was too good to rat out my miserable excuse for a loyal companion, it was obvious he'd said something mean to her.

It made my blood boil.

I'd never asked him to like anyone or anything before. I had no idea why he couldn't just get over it this once and accept that Sofia made me happy.

"Please, just forget about it." She turned all her attention to finding the wolf pelt. "It must be around here somewhere."

"I should hope so." I eyed Wormwood one last time before joining the search. "If we've come all the way up here for nothing I'm going to make you carry me back down!"

She snorted.

"Still being overdramatic." She sing-songed while opening an old chest.

"So says the athletic teenager." I grumped. "You have no idea what it's like to get old." I started lifting sheets in case it had been laid on top of a stray loveseat or something.

"You are _not_ old!" She shot back as though she knew anything about it.

"Hmm, yes well be that as it may sometimes I wish…." I never got to finish my sentence because Sofia suddenly flung herself at me, her hand clamping down firmly over my mouth.

"Merlin's mushroom's what's got into you?" I yelped, or something close to it. It was hard to form words with her palm smothering the lower half of my face.

"Um, I maaayyyy have forgotten this attic is also home to a magic mirror." She removed her hand and ducked her head to study the ancient plank flooring with a rather guilty intensity.

"You're kidding?"

"No, no I'm not. It's right over there." I followed the finger she raised until my gaze settled on the object Wormy was using as a perch.

"How long have you known about this?" I grasped my bowtie, twisting and tugging at it in an attempt to work out the sudden flair of indignation this news brought on.

"Um…since I was nine and mom brought it down from the attic while decorating for the Villager's ball. Dad made a wish in front of it and we ended waking up as bakers the next morning."

I turned back to her, jaw practically on the floor.

"You've known about this for eight and a half years and you never said anything to me? Everyone knew and no one said anything? I'm the royal sorcerer! I should have been told!"

Despite the rather alarming depth of my feelings for her, it seemed today was one of those days when we were just destined to find ourselves at odds about everything because Sofia's guilt melted away at my accusing tone and instead she met my ire head on.

"Would you have used it to wish yourself King?"

I went to answer but caught myself before walking straight into a transparently pointless lie. For a few moments we just stood there, me opening and closing my mouth and her staring with challenging eyes.

Then something dawned on me.

"Ahh but you didn't know I was trying to take over the kingdom!" I sounded far too proud of having fooled a child.

Sofia just exhaled loudly and rolled her eyes.

"No, but I learned pretty fast that quick fixes like this mirror, or the well no one talks about, always seem like a great idea until you get your wish. The you realize it's not all you thought it would be. Or worse yet it ends up ruining everything."

I did know about the well and that gold-plated shyster was an even bigger asshole than me.

"Which was why I never said anything. I didn't want something bad to happen to you, especially since no one else knew enough magic to help you if something went terribly wrong."

Oh.

"You're almost too good to be real sometimes, you know that?"

"Well, you try wearing this for a decade!" She touched her amulet, giving me a half smile. "Being almost too good to be real is basically compulsory. Oh hey, here it is!" She said holding up the old wolf pelt.

"We'll have to beat the dust out, but I think this should do." I mused, stroking the thick, wiry fur.

"Good! What do you say we mist it back to your workshop then!"

I turned to Wormwood. "Are you coming?"

His response was to raise his beak skyward before turning himself around and showing us his tail feathers.

"Suit yourself." I put my arm around Sofia and swirled my wand above our heads, letting green mist engulf us.

When we reappeared, I huffed, letting my legs go out from under me and gracelessly plopping onto my red cushioned workbench.

"Well now we're away from any eavesdropping magical furniture I'll say it. Sometimes I wish I were seventeen again so I could keep up with you better!"

Sofia shook her head and laid the pelt on the table behind me.

"You keep up just fine!" She said, kissing the top of my head and getting the spell book we needed. "Now what do you say we take a break from quarreling and brew this potion, I want it perfect before we leave tonight."

I couldn't help giving her a goofy grin. Tomorrow was my birthday and this was part of my present.

"I'm sorry about all the bickering." She said quietly, looking a little chagrinned.

"I'm sorry too. I think It's just one of those days."

She nodded sagely.

"You're probably right. I guess every couple has them, even mom and dad do sometimes. You know I love you though, right?"

She set the spell book next to the pelt and I used the opportunity to pull her into my lap and lay a kiss to her forehead.

"I do, though I still can't believe it."

"Well you should. I love you. All of you, just the way you are, and I wouldn't change you for the world."

Part of me (the part that was obviously spoiling for another argument) wanted to point out I wasn't allowed to do anything even remotely evil anymore. But then I remembered her words about my magic. Maybe she wasn't asking me to change. Maybe she was just challenging me to get out of my comfort zone, bringing out the best in me like she always had. After all I'd been happier these past months than I'd ever been before.

"That goes double for me!"

.o~O*O~o.

I woke to a heavenly smell.

Sofia and I had taken a coach to Mystic Meadows after bottling my birthday potion. It was an enhancement potion made to compliment a spell. I'd spent half the ride trying to wheedle out of her what she intended to do with it, but she wouldn't give me even the slightest hint. Finally I gave up.

But only because she distracted me.

At first I'd flushed straight to scarlet and pushed her hand away pointing out, with wild gesticulations and stumbling words, anyone might see us. Sofia had just smiled sweetly and explained in blasé tones how the height of the coach and the way the windows were situated meant we could only be seen from our chests up.

Then my virtuous, pristine Princess, Enchancia's pride and joy, shocked me stupid by sitting back and making her face into a perfect mask of boredom. All while her hand crept from the bench between us to my knee, up my thigh, under my robe….

All thoughts of birthday presents- all thoughts period- fled my head and I don't remember much of anything until we got to my parent's cottage.

Now I was lying in a little bed in one of their guest rooms breathing in the scent of my favorite breakfast: very berry crepes with lighting lemon sauce!

Jumping up, I washed and dressed with an almost absurd enthusiasm.

Sofia was somewhere in the house and I was eager to find her and spend my special day with her! Normally I didn't much care for birthdays, but today was different. I'd won Sofia's heart (somehow) and we'd confronted her parents and been given their blessing. Her birthday ball was in three weeks and the King was going to officially make her a duchess and formally announce our betrothal.

Thirty-five had been a good year and thirty-six was going to be even better!

One last adjustment to my yellow bow and I practically tripped down the hall to the bedroom where Sofia had spent the night, only to find it empty. Then I heard laughter from downstairs. Bounding down the steps and into the kitchen I saw my mother, my sister, my niece, and my Sofia all crowded inside.

Calista was setting the table, Cordelia was making tea, my favorite blend of herbs and citrus, and my mum was teaching Sofia how to make lightening lemon sauce.

"Just two drops," she was saying, "otherwise…."

"Kaboom!" Sofia finished.

My mother and sister laughed, probably remembering the time Cordelia made her first attempt and blew out an entire wall of our old kitchen.

"That about sums it up!" My mother nodded.

"Good morning all!" I said, smiling wide.

Unfortunately my voice seemed to startle Sofia and the whole bottle of lightening lemon drops tipped over into the pot.

For a moment everyone froze listening to the sauce begin to rumble ominously. Then, with a speed I hadn't ever seen my sister use for anything but the day after Wassalia sale at Spells Fifth Aveue, Cordelia shoved my mother out the way, grabbed the pot off the stove, and threw it out the open window towards the small creek just beyond the deck. The whole thing exploded spectacularly before hitting the ground, coating the grass with oozing hot lemon slime.

"Something always happens the first time, dear, don't fret." My mother laughed good naturedly taking out another pot and a new bottle of lemon drops.

My sister agreed, laying a hand on Sofia's arm and giving her a kind smile.

But when Sofia turned to me and our eyes locked it was like someone flicked a switch and I felt compelled to say something.

"So enchanted cooking is clearly not a strong a suit." Something spiteful apparently.

I wasn't always nice, even to Sofia (though I did try much harder these days). But even when I was cranky she usually took it with aplomb.

Not today.

"My cooking, enchanted or not, is always wonderful. I can hardly be blamed for being sabotaged by someone intentionally sneaking up on me!" She retorted huffily.

"Who's sneaking? It's breakfast isn't this where everyone is supposed to be? Should I enchant music to go before me into a room or some such so you'll always know when I'm coming?"

My mother and sister were just starting at us uncomfortably while I watched Calista edge out of the room from the corner of my eye.

"Why go to all that trouble," she bit back. "I'm sure we can find you a nice bell at that pet store or something."

"Ahhh! Cedi darling why don't you find Jullian and your father, while we get another pot of sauce on. Don't want your birthday crepes to get cold do we?" My mother asked, before basically shoving me out of the room.

As soon as I was by myself, I felt immediate regret for the way I'd acted, and for doing it in front of my family. I realized my mood seemed to have swung rather violently from one extreme to another and back again too. I'd been so mad at Sofia just seconds ago and now it was gone!

What on earth was wrong with me?

Shrugging my shoulders I decided to let it go. We would just forget about it and have a good rest of the day.

Except we didn't.

Every time Sofia and I were in the same room for the entire rest of the day an argument broke out. Each one was worse than the one before it, until finally we'd managed to end up in a screaming match over the deck table where we were having cake. My family sat silently, gapping at us like we were insane as I picked up my piece of cake and hurled it at Sofia's head.

Being a flying derby champ her reflexes were sharp and she ducked just in time to miss the confectionary projectile, standing back to her full height with barely a flinch at the sound of the plate shattering against the stone wall behind her.

She opened her mouth to say Merlin only knew what, but I'd had enough and wasn't sticking around to hear anymore. Instead I overturned my chair dramatically and stalked off into the woods.

I hadn't gotten very far when I heard my name.

"Cedric! Cedric get back here right now! We're not done!" She was shouting behind me, her foot falls coming hard and fast as she rushed to catch up to my longer stride.

"Oh I think we're absolutely done!"

"So Is this how it's going to be? You're just going to cut and run whenever things get rough between us?"

Rough? Things had passed rough well before lunch!

Fingers wrapped around my upper arm and, with a strength I often forgot she possessed, she forced me round to face her.

"I didn't run away, I ended the conversation. You just can't abide the fact someone walked away from you!"

"No, I'm fine with anyone else not wanting to be around me, but we're getting married, that kind of implies your being around me."

"Then maybe we shouldn't be getting married because you've done nothing for the past forty-eight hours but piss me off! If I can't stand two straight days in your company I don't know how we're going to make it another fifty years!" I yelled, yanking my arm back.

Sofia got a look on her face I don't think I'd ever seen before. It was…vindictive.

"Fifty years," she laughed and an alien cruelty twisted her features, "don't flatter yourself! You're practically a bag of bones as you are! I'd bet your halfway to the grave already!" I flinched back, wounded like I'd never been by anyone before.

Everything inside me went hard and cold. I looked her up and down, noticing the utter shock in her big blue eyes and the way she'd clapped her hands over her mouth as though she was afraid of what new terrible thing might jump out next.

This was the woman I loved. The woman I'd fallen so hard and so deep for I'd willingly given up my nefarious schemes and reformed my villainous ways. This was the woman whose every artless look and innocent word made my heart ache and my body tighten.

But I didn't see any of that. All I saw was someone I suddenly couldn't stand.

"Maybe as terrible as today has been it was for the best. You and I," I gestured between us, "are obviously a mistake."

Her hand dropped from her mouth and her eyes narrowed.

"I think that's the first thing you've said all day I can agree with."

"Good, then why don't you go home and tell your parents you're a free woman. I dare say your father will celebrate."

"So will I." She bit out, turning away from me in a swish of skirts before pulling out her wand and disappearing.

The minute Sofia was gone it was like someone took a pin to the giant balloon of rage inside me.

What was going on? What on earth had compelled us to act that way, to say those things?

I started slowly back to my parent's cottage, thinking over the day, feeling stupefied and not a little ashamed. I'd woken up so excited about being with Sofia but my mood had taken a swift downturn as soon as I'd laid eyes on her. And so had hers.

Still bad day or no, we'd never stooped to mocking insults and cutting each other where we knew it would hurt most. And I'd never, _ever_ been violent with her before! I also realized I hadn't meant a single word I'd said all day. And I was pretty sure Sofia hadn't either. I knew she didn't think I was ugly or old! She'd proven over and over in the last (almost) year she thought exactly the opposite. She loved me and saw me as attractive and desirable.

She was insane, clearly, but not cruel or vindictive! So what in Neptune's nettles had happened?

I entered the yard to see the cake flinging had ended the party and my sister and her family had fled.

My parent's were cleaning up, my father floating the dirty dishes into the kitchen sink and my mother directing the enchanted broom around the deck.

"Cedi?" My mother's voice was tentative as she laid down her wand leaving the broom to hover under the table.

"It's over." I said, disbelieving the words even as I said them.

"Oh Cedi no!" My mother clasped her throat and shook her head solemnly.

"Cedric you have to go after her, change her mind!" My father declared, because _of course_ he assumed Sofia had dumped me.

"She didn't end it with me, I ended it with her. We're…wrong for each other." With all of our many differences it should have been obvious from the beginning we were mismatched, but up until today I'd never believed anyone was more right for me than her!

"Oh but you're not Cedi! You're not! Your father and I, we're just the same way and even though we've had our bad days from time to time, some worse than the one you two just had, we've never doubted it!"

I had no idea how any two people could've had a day worse than today and still carried on. But I was well aware that despite the fact they acted like a docile old couple _now_ , crazy didn't even really scratch the surface of my parent's relationship. Still…

"Sofia and I aren't you and father!" I mumbled.

Even as I said it the words felt false. Hadn't Sofia and I joked often about how we were exactly like them? Weren't most magical couples like us? Opposites that seemed peculiarly paired to the casual observer but actually fit together with a kind of elemental perfection.

"I'm so sorry for everything today father, mother. I promise I'll make it up to you, but I have to go now." I said, pulling out my wand.

My room was cold and dark and I assumed I was alone, until I heard a voice up in my workshop.

"You had something to do with this didn't you?" It was Sofia, but I had no idea who she could be talking to.

Until a high pitched squawk echoed off the stone walls.

"I'm right aren't I?" She asked, getting louder by the moment. "Tell me what you did or so help me I'll turn you back into a rock myself you, you, you…," nearly eighteen and Sofia still hadn't mastered the art of cursing. "You HORRID bird!"

My heart clenched at her artlessness. I loved her! I loved her so much! I had to make this right.

I rushed up the stairs and threw aside the curtain but the minute I laid eyes on her the warmth of love melted away and I was instantly, outrageously pissed off all over again. How dare she yell at Wormwood! How dare she come here when she knew I was gone, as though she had some gods' given right to intrude on my personal, private space!"

She turned when she heard the curtain scrape across the rod and her face went through a rather acrobatic contortion of emotions before she seemed to grit her teeth in effort and hold up her hand.

"Wait! Before you say anything, tell me how you were feeling five minutes ago."

I had no idea why she was asking, but for some reason I answered.

"Remorseful, desperate, I couldn't believe what we said to each other and I wanted to find a way to get you back."

"And how do you feel now?"

"Like I want to tear your head off!"

"When we left Wormwood in the attic yesterday he made a wish in front of the mirror. That's why we're ripping each other apart like this."

"Why would Wormy do that?" I asked looking at my familiar and seeing the truth in the way he was puffing himself up and raising his beak towards the ceiling.

"Because he's feels like you've betrayed him, and all the sinister dreams you two used to have, for me. He doesn't want us together. He thought if he made us fight you'd realize being with me was a mistake and break it off and then things would go back to normal."

Mother fucking conjured piece of shale shit!

"Because If you tried anything else you figured we'd find our way back to each other, is that it? But this way I'd believe I came to the decision myself."

Wormwood squawked once, loud and indignant, and began preening his feathers.

"What did he say?" I asked her.

"You really don't want me to repeat it."

My indignation flared and I was about to bark out that I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know, but I shut my mouth just in time. I wasn't really angry, or at least I wouldn't be if it weren't for Wormwood's wish.

"We should go to the attic." I said instead.

Sofia swallowed hard, probably stifling some nasty comment of her own, and nodded her agreement.

A long, silent half hour later we were standing in front of the mirror again.

"I wish Cedric and I weren't being compelled to fight with each other anymore… right away please!"

The mirror shimmered and suddenly all my rage melted away.

Sofia sighed.

"I wasn't sure if I worded that right, but I think it's okay now." She raised big, beautiful, worried blue eyes to me. "How do you feel?"

I stepped closer to her.

"Angry," She grabbed at my forearms in fear. "At Wormwood." I clarified, pulling her close. "Otherwise I feel utterly and completely in love with you, and so, so sorry for every terrible thing I said today. We aren't a mistake! You and I are the smartest thing I've ever done."

Sofia's eyes closed but a small smile betrayed her relief.

"Oh Cedric, I'm so sorry!" She nuzzled her face into my robe. "You know I didn't mean any of it! You aren't…," she shook her head in vexation, frustrated tears forming at the corners of her eyes, "I can't even repeat those horrible things I said. You're beautiful and perfect and I love you and want you so much!"

I shushed her by cupping her cheek in my hand and lifting her lips to mine.

"Why don't we just forget all this ever happened." I suggested when we pulled apart.

"Does this mean we're still together?"

"I hope it means you still intend to marry me." I couldn't keep the little niggle of worry out my voice.

Sofia just nodded her head and a few of those tears broke loose and trailed down her cheeks. I couldn't resist kissing them away.

"We should get downstairs."

I nodded but then couldn't help looking at the mirror.

"You know Sofia this mirror could give us anything." I let go of her feeling strangely tempted to touch the magic object's surface.

"Cedric, don't." She pulled my hand back.

"Think about it!"

"What do you want that we don't have?" She asked, warily.

At first I couldn't think of anything, the way I always come up blank when I'm at the charmacy without a list, looking at so many options they all blur together. But then I remembered my wish from yesterday.

"I could wish to be seventeen again." I whispered, left a little breathless by the idea of getting a do over at life and with Sofia by my side.

Suddenly the mirror started to glow.

Sofia sucked in a breath, but nothing happened.

"I didn't actually make a wish." I pointed out, hoping that would calm her. But instead I found her pointing to the mirror.

My seventeen year old self was staring back!

When I looked down though I was still the same old me.

"I didn't know it could do that." There was a strange sort of awe in her voice. "We didn't know what the mirror was when dad made his wish so we weren't thinking aloud about it beforehand.

Sofia walked into the mirror's range of reflection and there we were, two teenagers together. I put my arm around her and pulled her into me while we watched ourselves in the enchanted surface.

"Look at us!" I whispered in her ear. "It would be wonderful, Sofia. There's so many things I would do differently if I had them to do again. I wouldn't let them shut me up in that tower to perform parlor tricks for your sister's balls. We could leave here, go off on adventures. Together I could be the person I always wanted to be and you could be the person you're meant to be. Your father might even be more approving of us if I were this way."

She continued to stare at the mirror for a long time saying nothing.

"Please tell me what you're thinking?" I implored when her silence became too much to bear.

"I was thinking, if we had been kids together I would have been just as head over heels for you then as I am now."

I tried to see what she did, but all I saw was a gangly lad with messy, longish hair and a too big nose. Just me, except younger and, embarrassingly, skinnier.

"We could be. All I have to do is make the wish."

Sofia stared at us for a moment longer and then shook her head. "But what if it actually makes you seventeen again?"

I looked at her blankly.

"When you were seventeen I hadn't even been born! What if it makes you mentally seventeen again and not just physically? What if you don't remember me?"

I hadn't thought of that. "I'll have to word it just so." I offered.

Sofia shook her head again, more vehemently this time.

"No Cedric, it's just like I said yesterday. It seems like it will be wonderful until you get what you wished for! Did you even like being a teenager?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"Not really no, but that probably had more to do with circumstances. If you were with me, I know it would be wonderful!"

"But what if it's not?" She paused to let me consider that. "Cedric why should we mess with fate for no reason? I love you, as you are right now! I don't need you to be younger and I don't care if it would make my dad, or anyone else, more inclined to approve of us. He _gave_ us his blessing and we _are_ together. That's all that matters to me!

If you want us to go off on adventures, I'm all in! If you want more from life than we can have it, now, just as we are! The only thing I would want, if I could have it, would be to make sure no one could manipulate us the way Wormwood did today!"

I gave us one last, longing look as young lovers and then I moved Sofia out of the way. She protested at first, until I put my hand behind the mirror and pushed. It came crashing down with a thunderous bang, shards of jagged glass raining onto the floor.

"Opps," I shrugged when I saw her astonishment.

Suddenly she was hugging me.

"Thank you!"

"What this?" I said pointing to the mirror. "That was a small feet for a master sorcerer like myself."

"No, thank you for not wanting anything more than us!"

"You make that easy!" I said before a sinister expression took my face. "Now how would you like to lift the ban on slaughtering animals for the rest of the night, and I'll make us some roast raven a la Cedric."

"I have a better idea." She said, her hands running up and down my chest.

I gave her my very best pout.

"But it's still my birthday. Doesn't the birthday boy get just one wish?" I let my lower lip tremble just a little knowing she found it almost completely impossible to resist.

She shook her head, but there was a smile on her face.

"How bout if I give you your birthday present instead?" She offered pulling the vial of potion from her pocket.

My face lit up and she took that as a yes. Taking my hand she pulled me down the attic steps. But instead of beginning the long descent back to the main part of the castle she took us out a small door onto the east roof.

"I believe I made you a promise a while back and I have yet to make good on it." She said, baffling me.

Then her wand puffed into her hand and the stopper from the potion popped open. Dipping her wand in the pearly white liquid she spoke a spell that was meant to amplify her voice.

I raised an eyebrow in question.

I'd performed this particular spell for the King many times so his voice would carry at public events, but we were alone out here, what could she possibly want it for? I didn't get the chance to ask because she took my hand and walked to the edge of the battlements. Once there she climbed on top of one of the guard stones that enclosed the roof from the fathomless drop to the water below.

"Sofia, what are you doing?" I screeched, fearing for a single moment she actually meant to jump.

She held my hand and lifted the other to balance herself better. Then she took a deep breath.

"I SOFIA OF ENCHANCIA LOVE CEDRIC THE SENSATIONAL!"

With the amplification spell and the enhancement potion her voice rung out, echoing loudly for miles around.

"I LOVE CEDRIC WITH ALL MY HEART!"

Lights were starting to come on in the castle and I tried to pull her down from the stone perch but she stood fast. Sofia shouted out four or five more times until she clearly had the attention of everyone in the castle _and_ in the village.

I should have been embarrassed, but I couldn't be.

I was remembering her words from the night of Amber and James' ball. It was the night I'd unknowingly given her my grandmother's cursed bracelet. I'd been jealous of all those princes who would think she was up for grabs and so I'd asked her to wear it because we couldn't shout our love from the rooftops.

She'd slipped it on promising we wouldn't have to hide forever and vowing after we told her parents she was going to drag me to rooftop herself.

And here we were.


End file.
